UK enters coalition era

The proposal came as the two men leading the alliance of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, David Cameron and Nick Clegg, appeared side by side at their first joint news conference as the leaders of government to declare the partnership would inaugurate a “grown-up” era in British politics .

Cameron, the Conservative leader and new prime minister, and his new deputy prime minister, Clegg of the Liberal Democrats, joked with each other and put on a performance brimming with bonhomie — one reporter called it a “love in” — as they promised to tackle the problems facing Britain, including its huge deficit, national defence and a range of other issues.

Cameron promised that the coalition would include Liberal Democratic voices in cabinet, and characterised the partnership as “joint endeavour, not two competing teams trying to occupy office at the same time.”

Clegg seconded the fraternal sentiment. “This is a government that will last,” Clegg said.
The men have acknowledged that the awkward partnership could be problematic, given that they ran heated campaigns against each other in last week’s poll, which ended with the ruling Labour Party being swept out of power after 13 years.