Into coalition government – with mixed fortunes: 2010–15

Abstract

The 2010 General Election saw the Conservatives win 307 seats, somewhat short of what they needed for a Commons majority. Following a week of negotiations, Nick Clegg led the Liberal Democrats into a coalition government. The coalition’s Programme contained three-quarters of the Liberal Democrat election manifesto, most notably a commitment to hold a referendum on changing the Westminster voting system to Alternative Vote. But in spite of this, the Party faced a rapid backlash, with its poll ratings falling to 11 per cent by the end of the year. It subsequently lost 40 per cent of its seats in the local elections of May 2011, which occurred on the same day as the AV referendum – another loss. However, despite the electoral setbacks, there were a number of achievements, including educational funding for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, an increase in the income tax allowance and, in July 2013, the legalisation of same-sex marriage. Unfortunately for the Party, much of what it accomplished was not obvious to the electorate, and over the five years of coalition government it lost one-third of its membership and two-thirds of its popular support in the national opinion polls.