Premiership of David Cameron
Encyclopedia
The premiership of David Cameron began on 11 May 2010 when Cameron
accepted the Queen's invitation to form a government. This occurred upon the resignation of Cameron's predecessor as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
, Gordon Brown
. While serving as prime minister, Cameron also serves as the First Lord of the Treasury
, the Minister for the Civil Service
and the Leader
of the Conservative Party
. Cameron is prime minister at the head of a coalition government
between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats
following the 2010 General Election in which no party gained an overall majority in the House of Commons.
, returning 306 MPs. However, it was still 20 seats short of an overall majority, resulting in the nation's first hung parliament
since February 1974
. Talks between Cameron and Liberal Democrat
leader Nick Clegg
led to a coalition of the two parties
, enabling Her Majesty The Queen to invite Cameron to form a government.
were driven from Buckingham Palace arriving at Downing Street
at about 20:55 on 11 May 2010. Cameron made a speech which started with a short tribute to the out-going Prime Minister, Gordon Brown
, and the former Labour government. He went on to describe the "difficult decisions" to reach "better times ahead". Cameron and his wife entered 10 Downing Street
together. He soon received a telephone call from United States President
Barack Obama
, the first foreign leader to congratulate him on his premiership.
Cameron met with his MPs in the Committee Room of the Commons at 22:00 on 11 May, celebrating, with cheering audible from the central hall of the Commons. It is likely that he then explained the details of any coalition agreements made between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats to his MPs.
Alex Salmond
. He then went on to visit Wales, meeting First Minister Carwyn Jones
, and Northern Ireland, meeting First Minister Peter Robinson
. His first trip outside the United Kingdom was to France on 20 May where he met with the French President Nicolas Sarkozy
. They discussed the European Union, Iran, Afghanistan and Anglo-French relations. He then visited Germany on 21 May where he held talks with Chancellor Merkel
, mainly centred around the economic crisis in Greece.
(PMQs) as Prime Minister. Since taking office he has twice been reprimanded by the Speaker of the Commons John Bercow for breaching parliamentary protocol and order. The first occasion was on 7 July, during PMQs, when he presented an opposition peer's book at the dispatch box, and attempted to quote from it. Bercow intervened, deciding that it was not in order. The second occasion was on 14 July when, after being questioned on cancer targets during PMQs, Cameron broke parliamentary protocol by questioning the opposition as to whether it was their policy to cut spending on the NHS, rather than supplying answers himself. Speaker Bercow intervened and stated that he hoped the opposition leader would not answer the question.
, Cameron visited Cumbria on 4 June, along with Home Secretary Theresa May
.
killings of 1972 in Northern Ireland
, Cameron made a full apology on behalf of the government of the United Kingdom.
In a statement to the House of Commons he said, "What happened on Bloody Sunday was both unjustified and unjustifiable. It was wrong." He went on to say "Lord Saville says that some of those killed or injured were clearly fleeing or going to the assistance of others who were dying. The Report refers to one person who was shot while “crawling…away from the soldiers”… …another was shot, in all probability, “when he was lying mortally wounded on the ground'… …and a father was “hit and injured by Army gunfire after he had gone to…tend his son”".
Cameron said: "This is the year when we have to make progress—progress for the sake of the Afghan people, but progress also on behalf of people back at home who want this to work. Obviously no one wants British troops to stay in Afghanistan for a day longer than is necessary. The President doesn’t, the Afghan people don’t, the British people don’t."
During his visit Cameron was forced to abandon a visit to a British base in Afghanistan after military intelligence suggested a plot to assassinate the Prime Minister.
In June 2011 Cameron spoke to U.S. President Barack Obama
via videophone to coordinate British and US withdrawal plans before Mr Obama addressed the American nation on live TV. Obama was on Wednesday night expected to confirm the withdrawal of 33,000 troops, up to 10,000 of them by the end of this year, despite criticism. Cameron has already confirmed that almost 450 of Britain's 9,500 troops will start leaving soon but Whitehall sources said that a second, smaller withdrawal will come towards the end of 2011, with another, larger reduction likely in the autumn of 2012. Despite Mr Cameron's deadline to end combat operations by 2015, military leaders including Liam Fox
, the Defence Secretary, have made clear that Britain will retain a major presence in Afghanistan, supporting and training Afghan forces.
Cameron was quick to dismiss fears, insisting: "You can't get rid of all the short-term sentences but I accept there is a good case for saying sending someone to prison for a few weeks or a few months, there's no time to reform them or rehabilitate them or train them, so what's the point?"Mr Cameron’s spokesman said the Prime Minister agreed with Mr Clarke, but insisted: “There is a place for short sentences."
-headed menace." These comments led to a diplomatic crisis as the head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shujaa Pasha called off a scheduled trip to discuss security cooperation with British intelligence agencies. Shadow Foreign Secretary
David Miliband
, accused Cameron of alienating an important ally: "The prime minister's comments this week told only part of the story and that has enraged people in Pakistan. It is vital he shows that he understands the need not just for Pakistan to tackle terrorism but that he will support them in doing so and understand the losses they have suffered."
Before the president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari
travelled to London to Cameron at Chequers, Downing Street stressed that Mr Cameron would not back away from his remarks about Pakistan promoting “the export of terror” and he would not apologise. “He stands by his comments,” a senior source said. “We are not looking to inflame the situation and we made clear that his comments were not directed at the Pakistan government, but what he said was clear. We are glad the president’s trip is going ahead and we are looking forward to the talks.” David Miliband
, the shadow foreign secretary, stepped up his attack on Mr Cameron yesterday, saying he should have recognised Pakistan’s suffering at the hands of terrorists and its democratic progress over recent years, rather than highlighting allegations of covert support for the Taliban in Afghanistan.
, are expected to enter service in 2016 and 2018. Work on the first is well under way, meaning it is all but certain to be completed. Richards supported by officials from Mr Cameron’s National Security Council
, has argued that HMS Prince of Wales should be abandoned. In a television interview, Mr Cameron repeatedly refused to guarantee the future of both carriers, saying only that “one of them is under way”. He said: “We need in many cases to make our Armed Forces more flexible, more adaptable, and sometimes that is going to mean changes.” Asked if that meant scrapping the second carrier, he replied: “That’s obviously a very big part of the decisions that we have to make about how we make sure our forces are flexible.” The Navy has argued that cutting the second carrier will save little money, because the Government is contractually obliged to give shipbuilders alternative work. Mr Cameron confirmed that major existing systems such as Challenger tanks will be mothballed as the Armed Forces are remodelled.
At a meeting of the National Security Council on 12 October, the Navy won its battle for two new aircraft carriers. The Army will face only modest cuts, the RAF is now in line to bear the brunt. Plans to order 138 new F35 Joint Strike Fighters are set to be cut to around 50, and the RAF’s entire fleet of Tornadoes faces cuts after next week’s review. It would lead to the loss of RAF bases in Lossiemouth and Marham and of almost 5,000 personnel. Cameron indicated the RAF would face deep cuts, saying: “We’ve got aeroplanes that are ready to do dog fights with the Soviet Union air force. That’s not right.” Air Marshal Timo Anderson said: “High-end air capabilities are not synonymous with Cold War ‘white elephants’”. “Without such an air defence capability, the UK would not be able to guarantee security of its sovereign air space and we would be unable to respond effectively to a 9/11-style terrorist attack from the air.”
among other austerity measures especially by students.
was introduced into the UK Parliament on 19 January 2011. The bill amounts to the most deep-rooted and extensive reworking of the structure of the National Health Service
ever undertaken. The bill has implications for all health organisations in the NHS, not least for NHS primary care trust
s (PCTs) and Strategic Health Authorities
(SHAs), which will be abolished. £60 to £80 billion of commissioning will be transferred from PCTs to several hundred consortia nominally run by GPs, although in practice many consortia will be operated by private health companies.
The bill is one of the coalition government
's most controversial proposals, and in April 2011 the government announced a "listening exercise" postponing further action on the bill until after the May 2011 local election
. The controversy arises in part because the proposals were not discussed during the 2010 general election campaign and were not contained in the 20 May 2010 Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition agreement
, which in fact declared an intention to "stop the top-down reorganisations of the NHS that have got in the way of patient care", yet within two months a white paper outlined what the Daily Telegraph called the "biggest revolution in the NHS since its foundation".
In June 2011 Cameron announced that the original 2013 reforms deadline would no longer be part of the bill. There will also be changes to the health and social care bill to make clear that the main duty of the health regulator, Monitor, will be to promote the interests of patients rather than promoting competition.
whereby banks will lend about £190bn to businesses during 2011 - including £76bn to small firms - curb bonuses and reveal some salary details of their top earners. The Bank of England
will monitor whether loans targets are being met. This was in addition to the government increasing its levy on banks to £2.5bn in 2011 - raising an extra £800m. HSBC
, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland
(RBS) and Lloyds Banking Group signed up to the Project Merlin agreement, while Santander agreed to the lending parts of the deal. Other pledges include providing £200m of capital for David Cameron's Big Society
Bank, which is intended to finance community projects. Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Lord Oakeshott resigned after the agreement was announced.
, and chaos of protests elsewhere
, Cameron said that popular uprisings now flaring across the Middle East showed the West had been wrong to support dictators and oppressive regimes. Speaking to the Kuwaiti Parliament, Mr Cameron said Britain would back democracy campaigners seeking greater rights across the Middle East. "History is sweeping through your neighbourhood," he said. "Not as a result of force and violence, but by people seeking their rights, and in the vast majority of cases doing so peacefully and bravely." He said that Britain's economic and security interests would ultimately be advanced by a more democratic Middle East. "Our interests lie in upholding our values – in insisting on the right to peaceful protest, in freedom of speech and the internet, in freedom of assembly and the rule of law." Cameron insisted his remarks did not mean Britain will try to force Gulf regimes to become Western-style democracies. "There is no single formula for success, and there are many ways to ensure greater, popular participation in Government," he said. "We respect your right to take your own decisions, while offering our goodwill and support." On the same trip, however, Cameron spent three days touring undemocratic Gulf states with eight of Britain's leading defence manufacturers. In response to the ensuing criticism, Cameron issued a three-point defence.
in Libya. He said the decisive air strikes had enabled the citizens of Libya to determine their “destiny.” The Prime Minister fielded questions for more than an hour in a Parliamentary debate on Libya
. He disclosed how close the rebel-held city of Benghazi came to being “rolled up”, along with the rest of Libya, by Col Muammar Gaddafi
. Mr Cameron told the House that rapid action was needed to halt Col Gaddafi. “If we had waited for that, Benghazi would have fallen and, from that, probably Tobruk would have fallen and Gaddafi would have rolled up the whole of his country in the next 24 to 48 hours,” he said. “It’s quite clear the population of Benghazi was under heavy attack. Civilians were being killed in significant numbers [and] an exodus from the town had begun. There was an urgent need to stop the slaughter.” Cameron has backed his senior Cabinet colleagues, including Dr Liam Fox
, the Defence Secretary, who have indicated that it would be legitimate to target Col Gaddafi as part of the operation.
On 24 March Cameron urged Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's political allies and military chiefs to abandon the Libyan regime and help bring down the dictator. Speaking at a European Union summit in Brussels, Mr Cameron went public with that call, saying senior Libyans should ignore Col Gaddafi's orders and leave their posts. "The people around him and the people who are obeying his orders should recognise that the time is up," Mr Cameron said. "Don't obey his orders, walk away from your tanks, leave the command and control that you are doing, give up on this regime because it should be over for him and his henchmen." He added: "Every day you work for him you are at risk of the International Criminal Court, and you are at risk of being found guilty of war crimes."
In April Cameron made his remarks about giving weapons to the rebels in a letter to Bill Cash, the senior Conservative MP who first raised the prospect of arming the rebels in March. The Prime Minister wrote: "We do not rule out supplying lethal equipment, but we have not taken a decision to do so and there remain legal and practical questions which need to be carefully considered."
In May Cameron committed £110 million to help ensure the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East succeed, he disclosed at the G8 meeting of world leaders in France. He said: “There is a real case for saying if you can secure greater democracy and freedom in countries like Egypt and Tunisia, that is good for us back at home. “That will mean less extremism, it will mean more peace and prosperity, it will mean there will not be the pressure on immigration that many otherwise face our country.” The chief beneficiaries will be Egypt and Tunisia.
During the battle of Tripoli in August 2011, Cameron said that there would "undoubtedly be difficult days ahead", but the Libyan people were "closer to their dream of a better future". He said the UK could be "proud" of the part it had played, but stressed the future of the country - and Col Gaddafi himself - was up to Libyans themselves.He went on saying that: "The situation in Tripoli is clearly very fluid and there is absolutely no room for complacency. "Our task now is to do all we can to support the will of the Libyan people which is for an effective transition to a free, democratic and inclusive Libya. "This will be and must be and should be Libyan-led and a Libyan-owned process with broad international support co-ordinated by the United Nations."
spoke out about cuts and the planned SDSR. Sir Simon Bryant
, said "huge" demands were being placed on equipment and personnel in light of the 2011 Libyan civil war
. He made the comments in briefing notes obtained by The Daily Telegraph. Armed forces minister Nick Harvey
MP said the UK continued to have the resources necessary to carry out operations. Bryant, who is the RAF's head of combat operations, said morale among personnel was "fragile" and their fighting spirit was being threatened by being over-worked. He said that "Morale remains fragile. Although fighting spirit remains positive, this assessment will be challenged by individual harmony targets as Operation Ellamy [in Libya] endures [after September]." He continued: "There is decreasing satisfaction with the remunerative offer and allowances cut, and the pay freeze continues to bite. "The impact of SDSR [strategic defence and security review] continues to undermine the sense of being valued. There is concern over the perceived lack of strategic direction which is restricting confidence in the senior leadership." In response, Prime Minister Cameron said that Mr Cameron's gave a sign of his frustration at a Downing Street press conference on Tuesday when questioned on the Coalition's military deployment in Libya in the context of cuts to the Ministry of Defence
's budget. He said: "There are moments when I wake up and think "you do the fighting, I'll do the talking"." Mr Cameron added: "Time is on our side, not Gaddafi's. We are allied to some of the richest and most militarily capable countries in the world. We have the Libyan people on our side and we'll keep going. "The pressure [on Col Gaddafi] is turning up all the time: you can see that in the desertions from his regime, the pressure on the west of the country, the pockets of resistance that people had assumed would be snuffed out are growing in strength.
Cameron was wrong to try to silence military chiefs about the conflict in Libya, James Arbuthnot
MP, the chairman of the Commons defence committee, said he was uneasy about hearing the Prime Minister apparently reject military advice. The chiefs put “a great deal of thought” into their comments, he said. Cameron this week showed his exasperation with military leaders, telling them: “You do the fighting, I’ll do the talking”. The comments followed warnings leaked to The Daily Telegraph from the heads of the RAF and Royal Navy that the operation in Libya was not sustainable and that defence cuts had left morale “fragile”. Arbuthnot said: “At the level that these senior military people are, they are largely kept back from the front line and they do a lot of the deciding as well as a lot of the talking and the Prime Minister does a lot of the deciding based on military advice. The military advice is something we should not cast aside or dismiss as not being very important.” Servicemen have also been stung by Mr Cameron’s remarks calling them “extremely dismissive”. A senior RAF officer said: “This was an extraordinarily patronising outburst verging on the outrageous. I think the PM should do a bit more listening and a little less talking. Essentially he’s giving us the Charge of the Light Brigade orders – 'Theirs not to reason why. Theirs but to do and to die’.” Ed Miliband
, the Labour leader, accused the Prime Minister of being “high-handed”, but Mr Cameron said he stood by his rebuke to the chiefs. “The only point that I have tried to make in recent days is I think when you are at war, and we are, in both Afghanistan and Libya, I think it’s very important, whether you are a political leader or whether you are a military leader, to think very carefully about what you are about to say.”
since taking power, the Prime Minister said on 13 April: “Nothing is more important to this Government than growing our economy, creating jobs and prosperity across the country.” Cameron said he wants to see "good immigration, not mass immigration" "discomfort and disjointedness" in neighbourhoods because some migrants have been unwilling to integrate or learn English. He will say that the "real issue" is "migrants are filling gaps in the labour market left wide open by a welfare system that for years has paid British people not to work". "Put simply, we will never control immigration properly unless we tackle welfare dependency," Mr Cameron said. Cameron said: "When there have been significant numbers of new people arriving in neighbourhoods, perhaps not able to speak the same language as those living there, on occasions not really wanting or even willing to integrate, that has created a kind of discomfort and disjointedness in some neighbourhoods. "This has been the experience for many people in our country and I believe it is untruthful and unfair not to speak about it and address it." However in response Vince Cable, a Liberal Democrat, described the speech as “very unwise” and suggested it could fuel extremism over immigration. “The reference to the tens of thousands of immigrants rather than hundreds of thousands is not part of the coalition agreement, it is Tory party policy only,” Mr Cable told the BBC. “I do understand there is an election coming but talk of mass immigration risks inflaming the extremism to which he and I are both strongly opposed.”
in the 2011 Scottish parliament elections in which the party secured an absolute majority of MSPs, raised the prospect of the Scottish government holding an independence referendum within the following five years. Though the constitution is reserved to Westminster, the SNP planned to get round that by holding a referendum to seek a mandate to negotiate for independence. David Cameron spoke to Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond
, hours after the SNP victory and guaranteed that the UK government would not put any legal or political obstacles in the way of an independence referendum.
said that the Government is committing Britain to "radical, long-term policies for which no-one voted". Writing in the New Statesman
magazine, Dr Rowan Williams raised concerns about the coalition's health, education and welfare reforms. He said there was "indignation" due to a lack of "proper public argument". Dr Williams said the Big Society
idea was viewed with "widespread suspicion". The archbishop's article also said there was concern that the government would abandon its responsibility for tackling child poverty, illiteracy and poor access to the best schools. He also criticised the government's welfare reforms, complaining of a "quiet resurgence of the seductive language of 'deserving' and 'undeserving' poor" and the steady pressure to increase "what look like punitive responses to alleged abuses of the system". In response Cameron said that he “profoundly disagreed” with Dr Rowan Williams’s claim that the Government was forcing through “radical policies for which no one voted”.said the Government was acting in a “good and moral” fashion and defended the “Big Society”, and the Coalition’s deficit reduction, welfare and education plans. “I am absolutely convinced that our policies are about actually giving people a greater responsibility and greater chances in their life, and I will defend those very vigorously,” he said. “By all means let us have a robust debate but I can tell you, it will always be a two-sided debate.”
came under increasing scrutiny as the controversy of the News of the World phone hacking scandal
grew. A close friend of Rebekah Brooks, Cameron had also hired Andy Coulson
as his communications director before Coulson was implicated in, and later arrested for his role in, the phone hacking. Cameron, who had spent his Christmas with Brooks, was accused by Ed Milliband of being "out of step with public opinion" and lacking leadership on the matter due to his "close relationships" with News International. Right-wing political commentator Peter Oborne
argued that it was no longer possible assert that Cameron was "grounded with a decent set of values" after a "succession of chronic personal misjudgements", equating the scandal with Tony Blair's decision to go to war in Iraq as a turning point in his premiership, and calling for him to distance himself from Brooks.
that began in London - first sparked on 6 August after a fatal police shooting two days before - have spread throughout England. Cameron returned from his holidays to chair the emergency COBRA committee. Police officers fought disturbances in Manchester
and Birmingham
, involving hundreds of youths who set fire to shops and smashed store windows. There were also riots in Gloucester
. Cameron announced that the number of officers on the streets of the capital would rise from 6,000 to 16,000 in a bid to stamp out escalating lawlessness. Steve Kavanagh, the Acting Met Commissioner, said: “That is a tactic that will be used if it is deemed necessary. We are not going to throw 180 years of community policing away lightly, but that does not mean that the Met is scared of using any tactics. “The Met does not want to use baton rounds, but if we get put into the position where it is best for the safety of property and lives in London then we will do so.” He said that the youth of the rioters was a consideration: “We had people as young as 11 arrested. Do we generally want to see police in London using that type of tactic on 11 year-olds?” Cameron said water cannon – until now only ever seen in the UK in Ulster
- will be available at 24 hours notice to deal with the “despicable violence” being carried out in cities across the country. In his strongest comments yet on the perpetrators of the violence, Mr Cameron said: “There are pockets of our society that are not only broken, but frankly sick...It is a complete lack of responsibility in parts of our society, people allowed to feel that the world owes them something.” Water cannons have been used this summer by police in Ulster and have been a regular sight at disturbances in the province. Despite calls for it to be used on the mainland – including after last year’s student riots in London – ministers have always ruled it out.
Cameron recalled Parliament on Thursday 11 August to make a statement and answer questions. He said that extended police powers would be considered, such as the ability to demand that suspected criminals remove face masks. Cameron promised that offenders would pay for their crimes after the riots, many of which were organised through social media services and mobile messaging systems.
The Prime Minister also announced a review of dispersal rules which could give police a "wider power of curfew". He said that police had failed in their initial response to the disturbances and insisted that he would press ahead with cuts in police budgets. Cameron said the root causes of the violence were cultural, not economic. "A culture that glorifies violence, shows disrespect to authority, and says everything about rights but nothing about responsibilities. The young people stealing flatscreen televisions and burning shops – that was not about politics or protest, it was about theft,". He added that "In too many cases, the parents of these children – if they are still around – don't care where their children are or who they are with, let alone what they are doing," he said.
In a speech given on 15 August in Whitney, Oxfordshire, Cameron said that the riots have been a “wake-up call” for Britain. Cameron blamed “children without fathers; schools without discipline; reward without effort; crime without punishment; rights without responsibilities; communities without control”. Mending that “broken society”, Mr Cameron said, his fundamental aim in politics. “Do we have the determination to confront the slow-motion moral collapse that has taken place in parts of our country these past few generations,” he asked. “Do we have the determination to confront all this and turn it around? “I have the very strong sense that the responsible majority of people in this country not only have that determination; they are crying out for their government to act upon it. And I can assure you, I will not be found wanting.” Bill Bratton, Mr Cameron’s controversial US crime adviser, warned that soft policing and sentencing had “emboldened” criminals in recent years. Cameron echoed that remark in his analysis of the wider problems of society. “Some of the worst aspects of human nature have been tolerated, indulged — sometimes even incentivised — by a state and its agencies that in parts have become literally demoralised,” he said.
.
On 28 October 2011 the leaders of the 16 Commonwealth countries where the Queen is head of state, unanimously approved the changes at a summit in Perth, Australia. Sons and daughters of any future UK monarch will have equal right to the throne. It means a first-born daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will take precedence over younger brothers. The ban on the monarch being married to a Roman Catholic was also lifted. Cameron said they would apply to descendents of the Prince of Wales. Cameron said that The idea a younger son should become monarch instead of an elder daughter simply because he's a man... is at odds with the modern countries we have become "Put simply, if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were to have a little girl, that girl would one day be our queen," he said. "The idea that a younger son should become monarch instead of an elder daughter simply because he is a man, or that a future monarch can marry someone of any faith except a Catholic - this way of thinking is at odds with the modern countries that we have become."
Cameron said that leaving the EU was “not in our national interest” but said he felt “very personally” that now was the time for a fundamental reconsideration of European relations. He added that: “Think how the European Union, as it is tonight, looks to those with growing economies watching from Sao Paulo, from Delhi or indeed Washington. Not – as it should be – a place to admire and emulate … but a source of alarm and crisis.” He accused the EU of being “out of touch” with European citizens. “It’s the pointless interference, rules and regulations that stifle growth not unleash it,” the Prime Minister said. “The sense that the EU is somehow an abstract end in itself, immune from developments in the real world, rather than a means of helping to deliver better living standards for the people of its nations.” He said: “It does not have to be like this. Out of crisis can come opportunity for the European Union, if its member states are ready to grasp it.”
"Yes, there are some who seriously try to argue that additional spending and borrowing will actually lead to less debt in the end, despite the fact that no evidence supports this assertion".
took place at 14:15 on 12 May 2010 between the media, David Cameron and Nick Clegg
. Soon after Cameron took office, it was confirmed that Clegg would be appointed to the semi-official role of Deputy Prime Minister
, whilst George Osborne
would become the Chancellor of the Exchequer
. William Hague
was appointed Foreign Secretary. The post of Home Secretary
went to Theresa May
. Cameron's Cabinet includes Clegg and four other Liberal Democrats: Danny Alexander
, Vince Cable, Chris Huhne
, and David Laws
.
On 29 May 2010 David Laws resigned as Chief Secretary to the Treasury
after admitting he claimed expenses to pay rent to his partner. He was succeeded by Liberal Democrat Scottish Secretary
Danny Alexander
, who was in turn replaced by Liberal Democrat Michael Moore
.
, the first of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, was presented by Chancellor George Osborne
at 12:30pm on 22 June and aimed to reduce the national debt accumulated by the Blair-Brown government. In his speech Osborne quoted data and forecasts made by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility
that was formed by the coalition soon after they took up office. Highlights of the budget included a 2.5% increase in VAT
to 20% and a large reduction in public spending. Concerns were raised about the impact the VAT raise would have on the less well off, and the effects which would be felt by those working in the public sector. During a televised discussion with members of the public
on 23 June Cameron admitted that the pensions of existing public sector workers would be cut.
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
accepted the Queen's invitation to form a government. This occurred upon the resignation of Cameron's predecessor as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
. While serving as prime minister, Cameron also serves as the First Lord of the Treasury
First Lord of the Treasury
The First Lord of the Treasury is the head of the commission exercising the ancient office of Lord High Treasurer in the United Kingdom, and is now always also the Prime Minister...
, the Minister for the Civil Service
Minister for the Civil Service
In British government, the Minister for the Civil Service is responsible for making regulations regarding Her Majesty's Civil Service, the role of which is to assist the governments of the United Kingdom in formulating and implementing policies...
and the Leader
Leaders of the Conservative Party
The Leader of the Conservative Party is the most senior politician within the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. The post is currently held by David Cameron, who s eeded Michael Howard in 2005, and who since 2010 is also the serving Prime Minister....
of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. Cameron is prime minister at the head of a coalition government
United Kingdom coalition government (2010–present)
The ConservativeLiberal Democrat coalition is the present Government of the United Kingdom, formed after the 2010 general election. The Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats entered into discussions which culminated in the 2010 coalition agreement, setting out a programme for government...
between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
following the 2010 General Election in which no party gained an overall majority in the House of Commons.
Background
At the 2010 general election on 6 May, the Conservative Party achieved its highest number of seats since the 1992 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
, returning 306 MPs. However, it was still 20 seats short of an overall majority, resulting in the nation's first hung parliament
Hung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
since February 1974
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
. Talks between Cameron and Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
leader Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
led to a coalition of the two parties
Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement
The Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement was a policy document drawn up following the 2010 general election in the United Kingdom...
, enabling Her Majesty The Queen to invite Cameron to form a government.
First day in office
Cameron and his wife Samantha CameronSamantha Cameron
Samantha Gwendoline Cameron , often known simply as "Sam Cam", is a British business executive and wife of David Cameron, the current Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom....
were driven from Buckingham Palace arriving at Downing Street
Downing Street
Downing Street in London, England has for over two hundred years housed the official residences of two of the most senior British cabinet ministers: the First Lord of the Treasury, an office now synonymous with that of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the Second Lord of the Treasury, an...
at about 20:55 on 11 May 2010. Cameron made a speech which started with a short tribute to the out-going Prime Minister, Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
, and the former Labour government. He went on to describe the "difficult decisions" to reach "better times ahead". Cameron and his wife entered 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
together. He soon received a telephone call from United States President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, the first foreign leader to congratulate him on his premiership.
Cameron met with his MPs in the Committee Room of the Commons at 22:00 on 11 May, celebrating, with cheering audible from the central hall of the Commons. It is likely that he then explained the details of any coalition agreements made between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats to his MPs.
First official trips
Cameron made his first official trips as Prime Minister in May 2010. His first visit was to Scotland where he met with First MinisterFirst Minister of Scotland
The First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...
Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
. He then went on to visit Wales, meeting First Minister Carwyn Jones
Carwyn Jones
Carwyn Howell Jones is a Welsh politician and the First Minister of Wales. The third official to lead the Welsh Government, Jones has been Assembly Member for Bridgend since 1999. In the coalition government of Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru, he was appointed Counsel General for Wales and Leader of...
, and Northern Ireland, meeting First Minister Peter Robinson
Peter Robinson (politician)
Peter David Robinson is the current First Minister of Northern Ireland and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party...
. His first trip outside the United Kingdom was to France on 20 May where he met with the French President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
. They discussed the European Union, Iran, Afghanistan and Anglo-French relations. He then visited Germany on 21 May where he held talks with Chancellor Merkel
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
, mainly centred around the economic crisis in Greece.
PMQs
On 2 June 2010, Cameron took his first session of Prime Minister's QuestionsPrime Minister's Questions
Prime minister's questions is a constitutional convention in the United Kingdom that takes place every Wednesday during which the prime minister spends half an hour answering questions from members of parliament...
(PMQs) as Prime Minister. Since taking office he has twice been reprimanded by the Speaker of the Commons John Bercow for breaching parliamentary protocol and order. The first occasion was on 7 July, during PMQs, when he presented an opposition peer's book at the dispatch box, and attempted to quote from it. Bercow intervened, deciding that it was not in order. The second occasion was on 14 July when, after being questioned on cancer targets during PMQs, Cameron broke parliamentary protocol by questioning the opposition as to whether it was their policy to cut spending on the NHS, rather than supplying answers himself. Speaker Bercow intervened and stated that he hoped the opposition leader would not answer the question.
Capital Gains Tax
Some of Cameron's own Tory MPs have attacked the planned rise on non-business Capital Gains Tax (CGT) - which could see second home sales taxed at a rate of 40% or 50% - as a tax on the middle classes. Cameron urged them to wait for the Budget. He told GMTV: "People don't yet know what our proposals are. Everyone's getting a bit ahead of themselves on this issue." He added: "We have to be calm about this because in a coalition there are inevitably going to be arguments and discussions about tax policy and other policies. And sometimes these will happen much more in the open than in the past." Mr Cameron said the country is at a "turning point". "The decisions we make now will live with us for decades to come. For many years we have been heading in the wrong direction," he said. "Our economy has become more and more unbalanced, with our fortunes hitched to a few industries in one corner of the country, while we let other sectors like manufacturing slide. "It has become over-reliant on welfare, with mass worklessness accepted as a fact of life and around five million people now on out-of-work benefits. "It has become increasingly hostile to enterprise, with business investment in the past decade growing at around 1% each year - only a quarter of what it was the decade before. "It has become far too dependent on the public sector, with over half of all jobs created in the last 10 years associated in some way with public spending."Cumbria shootings
After the Cumbria shootingsCumbria shootings
The Cumbria shootings was a killing spree that occurred on 2 June 2010 when a lone gunman, Derrick Bird, killed 12 people and injured 11 others before killing himself in Cumbria, England....
, Cameron visited Cumbria on 4 June, along with Home Secretary Theresa May
Theresa May
Theresa Mary May is a British Conservative politician who is Home Secretary in the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition government. She was elected to Parliament in 1997 as the Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, and served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party, 2003–04...
.
Saville Inquiry apology
On 14 June 2010, after publication of the Saville Report on the Bloody SundayBloody Sunday (1972)
Bloody Sunday —sometimes called the Bogside Massacre—was an incident on 30 January 1972 in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland, in which twenty-six unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders were shot by soldiers of the British Army...
killings of 1972 in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, Cameron made a full apology on behalf of the government of the United Kingdom.
In a statement to the House of Commons he said, "What happened on Bloody Sunday was both unjustified and unjustifiable. It was wrong." He went on to say "Lord Saville says that some of those killed or injured were clearly fleeing or going to the assistance of others who were dying. The Report refers to one person who was shot while “crawling…away from the soldiers”… …another was shot, in all probability, “when he was lying mortally wounded on the ground'… …and a father was “hit and injured by Army gunfire after he had gone to…tend his son”".
Afghanistan
In June, Cameron promised that British troops would not remain in Afghanistan a day longer than necessary as he flew into the country for the first time as Prime Minister. Cameron gave his broadest hint yet that 10,000 British troops would start to return home in 2011, and confirmed that the question of sending more British Forces to the country was “not remotely on the agenda”. He urged his ministers to challenge the military, particularly if they suspected that defence chiefs were ignoring inconvenient facts. “I’ve always had a very clear view that the military stand up to politicians and give them unvarnished military advice, and it’s very important that politicians stand up to the military and ask all the tough questions,” he said. He continued saying “That’s the way you get good policy, by having a robust and proper debate with the military taking a military view and giving military advice: unvarnished, clear and not skimping on detail. And it’s very important the politicians don’t just sit back and accept it but interrogate it and probe it.”Cameron said: "This is the year when we have to make progress—progress for the sake of the Afghan people, but progress also on behalf of people back at home who want this to work. Obviously no one wants British troops to stay in Afghanistan for a day longer than is necessary. The President doesn’t, the Afghan people don’t, the British people don’t."
During his visit Cameron was forced to abandon a visit to a British base in Afghanistan after military intelligence suggested a plot to assassinate the Prime Minister.
In June 2011 Cameron spoke to U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
via videophone to coordinate British and US withdrawal plans before Mr Obama addressed the American nation on live TV. Obama was on Wednesday night expected to confirm the withdrawal of 33,000 troops, up to 10,000 of them by the end of this year, despite criticism. Cameron has already confirmed that almost 450 of Britain's 9,500 troops will start leaving soon but Whitehall sources said that a second, smaller withdrawal will come towards the end of 2011, with another, larger reduction likely in the autumn of 2012. Despite Mr Cameron's deadline to end combat operations by 2015, military leaders including Liam Fox
Liam Fox
Liam Fox MP is a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for North Somerset, and former Secretary of State for Defence....
, the Defence Secretary, have made clear that Britain will retain a major presence in Afghanistan, supporting and training Afghan forces.
Crime and punishment
Ken Clarke, the Justice Secretary, signalled an end to short prison sentences after warning it was "virtually impossible" to rehabilitate an inmate in less than 12 months. In his first major speech since taking office, Mr Clarke indicated a major shift in penal policy by saying prison was not effective in many cases. This could result in more offenders handed community punishments.Cameron was quick to dismiss fears, insisting: "You can't get rid of all the short-term sentences but I accept there is a good case for saying sending someone to prison for a few weeks or a few months, there's no time to reform them or rehabilitate them or train them, so what's the point?"Mr Cameron’s spokesman said the Prime Minister agreed with Mr Clarke, but insisted: “There is a place for short sentences."
Education
In July 2010 Cameron said that "I've got a six-year-old and a four-year-old and I'm terrified living in central London,” he told a Sunday newspaper. "Am I going to find a good secondary school for my children? I feel it as a parent, let alone as a politician." Mr Cameron, said he remained determined to send his children to state schools despite rejecting 15 primary schools for his six-year-old daughter Nancy, before sending her to St Mary Abbots, Church of England primary in Kensington. Good schools in central London are hugely over subscribed, with six parents chasing every place in one near Downing Street, and Mr Cameron said the dilemma has strengthened his resolve to drive up standards so there are "really good state schools available for all."Pakistan
On a trip to India and Pakistan in late July, Cameron suggested that Pakistan had links with terrorist groups, and was guilty of double dealing by aligning itself with both the West and the forces it was opposing. Mr Cameron’s attack was even more unwelcome given that he was speaking during a visit to India, Pakistan’s neighbour and great military rival. Cameron said: "We can not tolerate in any sense the idea that this country is allowed to look both ways and is able, in any way, to promote the export of terror, whether to India or whether to Afghanistan or anywhere else in the world. It should be a relationship based on a very clear message: that it is not right to have any relationship with groups that are promoting terror". Pakistan responded with alarm to Mr Cameron’s words. Abdul Basit, spokesman for the Pakistan Foreign Ministry, said: "Pakistan is fully committed against militancy and terrorism anywhere in the world as we ourselves are victims of this hydraLernaean Hydra
In Greek mythology, the Lernaean Hydra was an ancient nameless serpent-like chthonic water beast, with reptilian traits, that possessed many heads — the poets mention more heads than the vase-painters could paint, and for each head cut off it grew two more — and poisonous breath so virulent even...
-headed menace." These comments led to a diplomatic crisis as the head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shujaa Pasha called off a scheduled trip to discuss security cooperation with British intelligence agencies. Shadow Foreign Secretary
Shadow Foreign Secretary
In British politics, the shadow foreign secretary is a position within the opposition's shadow cabinet that deals mainly with issues surrounding the Foreign Office; such things are relations with other nations, if elected, the designated person may be slated to become the new Foreign...
David Miliband
David Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
, accused Cameron of alienating an important ally: "The prime minister's comments this week told only part of the story and that has enraged people in Pakistan. It is vital he shows that he understands the need not just for Pakistan to tackle terrorism but that he will support them in doing so and understand the losses they have suffered."
Before the president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari is the 11th and current President of Pakistan and the Co-Chairman of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party . He is also the widower of Benazir Bhutto, who served two nonconsecutive terms as Prime Minister....
travelled to London to Cameron at Chequers, Downing Street stressed that Mr Cameron would not back away from his remarks about Pakistan promoting “the export of terror” and he would not apologise. “He stands by his comments,” a senior source said. “We are not looking to inflame the situation and we made clear that his comments were not directed at the Pakistan government, but what he said was clear. We are glad the president’s trip is going ahead and we are looking forward to the talks.” David Miliband
David Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
, the shadow foreign secretary, stepped up his attack on Mr Cameron yesterday, saying he should have recognised Pakistan’s suffering at the hands of terrorists and its democratic progress over recent years, rather than highlighting allegations of covert support for the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Aircraft carriers
In October 2010 Cameron backed David Richards, Chief of the Defence Staff, who has questioned the military value of the carriers and wants to focus resources on ground forces. The new carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of WalesHMS Prince of Wales
Seven ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Prince of Wales, after numerous holders of the title the Prince of Wales. Another ship is planned:...
, are expected to enter service in 2016 and 2018. Work on the first is well under way, meaning it is all but certain to be completed. Richards supported by officials from Mr Cameron’s National Security Council
National Security Council
A National Security Council is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security...
, has argued that HMS Prince of Wales should be abandoned. In a television interview, Mr Cameron repeatedly refused to guarantee the future of both carriers, saying only that “one of them is under way”. He said: “We need in many cases to make our Armed Forces more flexible, more adaptable, and sometimes that is going to mean changes.” Asked if that meant scrapping the second carrier, he replied: “That’s obviously a very big part of the decisions that we have to make about how we make sure our forces are flexible.” The Navy has argued that cutting the second carrier will save little money, because the Government is contractually obliged to give shipbuilders alternative work. Mr Cameron confirmed that major existing systems such as Challenger tanks will be mothballed as the Armed Forces are remodelled.
At a meeting of the National Security Council on 12 October, the Navy won its battle for two new aircraft carriers. The Army will face only modest cuts, the RAF is now in line to bear the brunt. Plans to order 138 new F35 Joint Strike Fighters are set to be cut to around 50, and the RAF’s entire fleet of Tornadoes faces cuts after next week’s review. It would lead to the loss of RAF bases in Lossiemouth and Marham and of almost 5,000 personnel. Cameron indicated the RAF would face deep cuts, saying: “We’ve got aeroplanes that are ready to do dog fights with the Soviet Union air force. That’s not right.” Air Marshal Timo Anderson said: “High-end air capabilities are not synonymous with Cold War ‘white elephants’”. “Without such an air defence capability, the UK would not be able to guarantee security of its sovereign air space and we would be unable to respond effectively to a 9/11-style terrorist attack from the air.”
Tuition fees
There have been protests against rise in tuition fees2010 UK student protests
The 2010 UK student protests were a series of demonstrations that began in November 2010 in several areas of the United Kingdom, with the focal point of protests centred in London. The initial event was the largest student protest in the UK since the Labour government first proposed the Teaching...
among other austerity measures especially by students.
NHS reforms
The Health and Social Care BillHealth and Social Care Bill 2011
The Health and Social Care Bill 2011 is proposed health care reform legislation introduced in the House of Commons on 19 January 2011. If passed, the Bill would be the most extensive reorganisation of the structure of the National Health Service in England to date. It proposes to abolish NHS...
was introduced into the UK Parliament on 19 January 2011. The bill amounts to the most deep-rooted and extensive reworking of the structure of the National Health Service
National Health Service (England)
The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
ever undertaken. The bill has implications for all health organisations in the NHS, not least for NHS primary care trust
NHS Primary Care Trust
An NHS primary care trust is a type of NHS trust, part of the National Health Service in England. PCTs commission primary, community and secondary care from providers. Until 31 may2011 they also provided community services directly. Collectively PCT are responsible for spending around 80% of the...
s (PCTs) and Strategic Health Authorities
NHS Strategic Health Authority
NHS strategic health authorities are part of the structure of the National Health Service in England. Each SHA is responsible for enacting the directives and implementing fiscal policy as dictated by the Department of Health at a regional level. In turn each SHA area contains various NHS trusts...
(SHAs), which will be abolished. £60 to £80 billion of commissioning will be transferred from PCTs to several hundred consortia nominally run by GPs, although in practice many consortia will be operated by private health companies.
The bill is one of the coalition government
United Kingdom coalition government (2010–present)
The ConservativeLiberal Democrat coalition is the present Government of the United Kingdom, formed after the 2010 general election. The Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats entered into discussions which culminated in the 2010 coalition agreement, setting out a programme for government...
's most controversial proposals, and in April 2011 the government announced a "listening exercise" postponing further action on the bill until after the May 2011 local election
United Kingdom local elections, 2011
The 2011 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 5 May 2011. In England, direct elections were held in all 36 Metropolitan boroughs, 194 Second-tier district authorities, 49 unitary authorities and various mayoral posts, meaning local elections took place in all parts of England with...
. The controversy arises in part because the proposals were not discussed during the 2010 general election campaign and were not contained in the 20 May 2010 Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition agreement
Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement
The Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement was a policy document drawn up following the 2010 general election in the United Kingdom...
, which in fact declared an intention to "stop the top-down reorganisations of the NHS that have got in the way of patient care", yet within two months a white paper outlined what the Daily Telegraph called the "biggest revolution in the NHS since its foundation".
In June 2011 Cameron announced that the original 2013 reforms deadline would no longer be part of the bill. There will also be changes to the health and social care bill to make clear that the main duty of the health regulator, Monitor, will be to promote the interests of patients rather than promoting competition.
Project Merlin
In February 2011 Chancellor George Osborne announced Project MerlinProject Merlin
Project Merlin is an agreement between the British Government of David Cameron and four of the major high street banks in the United Kingdom. These banks are Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, the Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC...
whereby banks will lend about £190bn to businesses during 2011 - including £76bn to small firms - curb bonuses and reveal some salary details of their top earners. The Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
will monitor whether loans targets are being met. This was in addition to the government increasing its levy on banks to £2.5bn in 2011 - raising an extra £800m. HSBC
HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...
, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland
Royal Bank of Scotland
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
(RBS) and Lloyds Banking Group signed up to the Project Merlin agreement, while Santander agreed to the lending parts of the deal. Other pledges include providing £200m of capital for David Cameron's Big Society
Big Society
The Big Society was the flagship policy idea of the 2010 UK Conservative Party general election manifesto. It now forms part of the legislative programme of the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement. The aim is "to create a climate that empowers local people and communities, building...
Bank, which is intended to finance community projects. Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Lord Oakeshott resigned after the agreement was announced.
Multiculturalism speech
On 5 February 2011 Cameron has criticised "state multiculturalism" in his first speech as prime minister on radicalisation and the causes of terrorism. At a security conference in Munich, he argued the UK needed a stronger national identity to prevent people turning to all kinds of extremism. "Frankly, we need a lot less of the passive tolerance of recent years and much more active, muscular liberalism," the prime minister said. "These are the sorts of questions we need to ask. Fail these tests and the presumption should be not to engage with organisations," he added.Middle East trip
In a surprise trip to the Middle East amid violence in Libya2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
, and chaos of protests elsewhere
Arab Spring
The Arab Spring , otherwise known as the Arab Awakening, is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on Saturday, 18 December 2010...
, Cameron said that popular uprisings now flaring across the Middle East showed the West had been wrong to support dictators and oppressive regimes. Speaking to the Kuwaiti Parliament, Mr Cameron said Britain would back democracy campaigners seeking greater rights across the Middle East. "History is sweeping through your neighbourhood," he said. "Not as a result of force and violence, but by people seeking their rights, and in the vast majority of cases doing so peacefully and bravely." He said that Britain's economic and security interests would ultimately be advanced by a more democratic Middle East. "Our interests lie in upholding our values – in insisting on the right to peaceful protest, in freedom of speech and the internet, in freedom of assembly and the rule of law." Cameron insisted his remarks did not mean Britain will try to force Gulf regimes to become Western-style democracies. "There is no single formula for success, and there are many ways to ensure greater, popular participation in Government," he said. "We respect your right to take your own decisions, while offering our goodwill and support." On the same trip, however, Cameron spent three days touring undemocratic Gulf states with eight of Britain's leading defence manufacturers. In response to the ensuing criticism, Cameron issued a three-point defence.
Libya no fly zone
Cameron told MPs on 21 March 2011 that a “bloody massacre” was narrowly avoided by the military action2011 military intervention in Libya
On 19 March 2011, a multi-state coalition began a military intervention in Libya to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which was taken in response to events during the 2011 Libyan civil war...
in Libya. He said the decisive air strikes had enabled the citizens of Libya to determine their “destiny.” The Prime Minister fielded questions for more than an hour in a Parliamentary debate on Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. He disclosed how close the rebel-held city of Benghazi came to being “rolled up”, along with the rest of Libya, by Col Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
. Mr Cameron told the House that rapid action was needed to halt Col Gaddafi. “If we had waited for that, Benghazi would have fallen and, from that, probably Tobruk would have fallen and Gaddafi would have rolled up the whole of his country in the next 24 to 48 hours,” he said. “It’s quite clear the population of Benghazi was under heavy attack. Civilians were being killed in significant numbers [and] an exodus from the town had begun. There was an urgent need to stop the slaughter.” Cameron has backed his senior Cabinet colleagues, including Dr Liam Fox
Liam Fox
Liam Fox MP is a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for North Somerset, and former Secretary of State for Defence....
, the Defence Secretary, who have indicated that it would be legitimate to target Col Gaddafi as part of the operation.
On 24 March Cameron urged Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's political allies and military chiefs to abandon the Libyan regime and help bring down the dictator. Speaking at a European Union summit in Brussels, Mr Cameron went public with that call, saying senior Libyans should ignore Col Gaddafi's orders and leave their posts. "The people around him and the people who are obeying his orders should recognise that the time is up," Mr Cameron said. "Don't obey his orders, walk away from your tanks, leave the command and control that you are doing, give up on this regime because it should be over for him and his henchmen." He added: "Every day you work for him you are at risk of the International Criminal Court, and you are at risk of being found guilty of war crimes."
In April Cameron made his remarks about giving weapons to the rebels in a letter to Bill Cash, the senior Conservative MP who first raised the prospect of arming the rebels in March. The Prime Minister wrote: "We do not rule out supplying lethal equipment, but we have not taken a decision to do so and there remain legal and practical questions which need to be carefully considered."
In May Cameron committed £110 million to help ensure the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East succeed, he disclosed at the G8 meeting of world leaders in France. He said: “There is a real case for saying if you can secure greater democracy and freedom in countries like Egypt and Tunisia, that is good for us back at home. “That will mean less extremism, it will mean more peace and prosperity, it will mean there will not be the pressure on immigration that many otherwise face our country.” The chief beneficiaries will be Egypt and Tunisia.
During the battle of Tripoli in August 2011, Cameron said that there would "undoubtedly be difficult days ahead", but the Libyan people were "closer to their dream of a better future". He said the UK could be "proud" of the part it had played, but stressed the future of the country - and Col Gaddafi himself - was up to Libyans themselves.He went on saying that: "The situation in Tripoli is clearly very fluid and there is absolutely no room for complacency. "Our task now is to do all we can to support the will of the Libyan people which is for an effective transition to a free, democratic and inclusive Libya. "This will be and must be and should be Libyan-led and a Libyan-owned process with broad international support co-ordinated by the United Nations."
Comments by senior commanders
In June 2011, just days after the Admiral Sir Mark StanhopeMark Stanhope
Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, GCB, OBE is the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff of the United Kingdom, thus the professional head of the Royal Navy.-Early life:...
spoke out about cuts and the planned SDSR. Sir Simon Bryant
Simon Bryant
Air Chief Marshal Sir Simon Bryant KCB CBE is a Royal Air Force officer, currently serving as Commander-in-Chief of Air Command, and the second-most senior officer in the service...
, said "huge" demands were being placed on equipment and personnel in light of the 2011 Libyan civil war
2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
. He made the comments in briefing notes obtained by The Daily Telegraph. Armed forces minister Nick Harvey
Nick Harvey
Nicholas Barton "Nick" Harvey is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He is the Member of Parliament for North Devon and the Minister of State for the Armed Forces.-Early life and education:...
MP said the UK continued to have the resources necessary to carry out operations. Bryant, who is the RAF's head of combat operations, said morale among personnel was "fragile" and their fighting spirit was being threatened by being over-worked. He said that "Morale remains fragile. Although fighting spirit remains positive, this assessment will be challenged by individual harmony targets as Operation Ellamy [in Libya] endures [after September]." He continued: "There is decreasing satisfaction with the remunerative offer and allowances cut, and the pay freeze continues to bite. "The impact of SDSR [strategic defence and security review] continues to undermine the sense of being valued. There is concern over the perceived lack of strategic direction which is restricting confidence in the senior leadership." In response, Prime Minister Cameron said that Mr Cameron's gave a sign of his frustration at a Downing Street press conference on Tuesday when questioned on the Coalition's military deployment in Libya in the context of cuts to the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
's budget. He said: "There are moments when I wake up and think "you do the fighting, I'll do the talking"." Mr Cameron added: "Time is on our side, not Gaddafi's. We are allied to some of the richest and most militarily capable countries in the world. We have the Libyan people on our side and we'll keep going. "The pressure [on Col Gaddafi] is turning up all the time: you can see that in the desertions from his regime, the pressure on the west of the country, the pockets of resistance that people had assumed would be snuffed out are growing in strength.
"You do the fighting, I’ll do the talking" criticism
Cameron was wrong to try to silence military chiefs about the conflict in Libya, James Arbuthnot
James Arbuthnot
James Norwich Arbuthnot, MP is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for North East Hampshire.-Early life:...
MP, the chairman of the Commons defence committee, said he was uneasy about hearing the Prime Minister apparently reject military advice. The chiefs put “a great deal of thought” into their comments, he said. Cameron this week showed his exasperation with military leaders, telling them: “You do the fighting, I’ll do the talking”. The comments followed warnings leaked to The Daily Telegraph from the heads of the RAF and Royal Navy that the operation in Libya was not sustainable and that defence cuts had left morale “fragile”. Arbuthnot said: “At the level that these senior military people are, they are largely kept back from the front line and they do a lot of the deciding as well as a lot of the talking and the Prime Minister does a lot of the deciding based on military advice. The military advice is something we should not cast aside or dismiss as not being very important.” Servicemen have also been stung by Mr Cameron’s remarks calling them “extremely dismissive”. A senior RAF officer said: “This was an extraordinarily patronising outburst verging on the outrageous. I think the PM should do a bit more listening and a little less talking. Essentially he’s giving us the Charge of the Light Brigade orders – 'Theirs not to reason why. Theirs but to do and to die’.” Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
, the Labour leader, accused the Prime Minister of being “high-handed”, but Mr Cameron said he stood by his rebuke to the chiefs. “The only point that I have tried to make in recent days is I think when you are at war, and we are, in both Afghanistan and Libya, I think it’s very important, whether you are a political leader or whether you are a military leader, to think very carefully about what you are about to say.”
Immigration speech
In his first major speech on immigration just before the local electionsUnited Kingdom local elections, 2011
The 2011 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 5 May 2011. In England, direct elections were held in all 36 Metropolitan boroughs, 194 Second-tier district authorities, 49 unitary authorities and various mayoral posts, meaning local elections took place in all parts of England with...
since taking power, the Prime Minister said on 13 April: “Nothing is more important to this Government than growing our economy, creating jobs and prosperity across the country.” Cameron said he wants to see "good immigration, not mass immigration" "discomfort and disjointedness" in neighbourhoods because some migrants have been unwilling to integrate or learn English. He will say that the "real issue" is "migrants are filling gaps in the labour market left wide open by a welfare system that for years has paid British people not to work". "Put simply, we will never control immigration properly unless we tackle welfare dependency," Mr Cameron said. Cameron said: "When there have been significant numbers of new people arriving in neighbourhoods, perhaps not able to speak the same language as those living there, on occasions not really wanting or even willing to integrate, that has created a kind of discomfort and disjointedness in some neighbourhoods. "This has been the experience for many people in our country and I believe it is untruthful and unfair not to speak about it and address it." However in response Vince Cable, a Liberal Democrat, described the speech as “very unwise” and suggested it could fuel extremism over immigration. “The reference to the tens of thousands of immigrants rather than hundreds of thousands is not part of the coalition agreement, it is Tory party policy only,” Mr Cable told the BBC. “I do understand there is an election coming but talk of mass immigration risks inflaming the extremism to which he and I are both strongly opposed.”
Referendum on Scottish independence
A victory by the Scottish National PartyScottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
in the 2011 Scottish parliament elections in which the party secured an absolute majority of MSPs, raised the prospect of the Scottish government holding an independence referendum within the following five years. Though the constitution is reserved to Westminster, the SNP planned to get round that by holding a referendum to seek a mandate to negotiate for independence. David Cameron spoke to Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
, hours after the SNP victory and guaranteed that the UK government would not put any legal or political obstacles in the way of an independence referendum.
Archbishop of Canterbury comments
On 8 June 2011 Rowan WilliamsRowan Williams
Rowan Douglas Williams FRSL, FBA, FLSW is an Anglican bishop, poet and theologian. He is the 104th and current Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan of the Province of Canterbury and Primate of All England, offices he has held since early 2003.Williams was previously Bishop of Monmouth and...
said that the Government is committing Britain to "radical, long-term policies for which no-one voted". Writing in the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
magazine, Dr Rowan Williams raised concerns about the coalition's health, education and welfare reforms. He said there was "indignation" due to a lack of "proper public argument". Dr Williams said the Big Society
Big Society
The Big Society was the flagship policy idea of the 2010 UK Conservative Party general election manifesto. It now forms part of the legislative programme of the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement. The aim is "to create a climate that empowers local people and communities, building...
idea was viewed with "widespread suspicion". The archbishop's article also said there was concern that the government would abandon its responsibility for tackling child poverty, illiteracy and poor access to the best schools. He also criticised the government's welfare reforms, complaining of a "quiet resurgence of the seductive language of 'deserving' and 'undeserving' poor" and the steady pressure to increase "what look like punitive responses to alleged abuses of the system". In response Cameron said that he “profoundly disagreed” with Dr Rowan Williams’s claim that the Government was forcing through “radical policies for which no one voted”.said the Government was acting in a “good and moral” fashion and defended the “Big Society”, and the Coalition’s deficit reduction, welfare and education plans. “I am absolutely convinced that our policies are about actually giving people a greater responsibility and greater chances in their life, and I will defend those very vigorously,” he said. “By all means let us have a robust debate but I can tell you, it will always be a two-sided debate.”
News of the World phone hacking scandal
David Cameron's close relationship with senior figures of News InternationalNews International
News International Ltd is the United Kingdom newspaper publishing division of News Corporation. Until June 2002, it was called News International plc....
came under increasing scrutiny as the controversy of the News of the World phone hacking scandal
News of the World phone hacking affair
The News International phone-hacking scandal is an ongoing controversy involving mainly the News of the World but also other British tabloid newspapers published by News International, a subsidiary of News Corporation. Employees of the newspaper were accused of engaging in phone hacking, police...
grew. A close friend of Rebekah Brooks, Cameron had also hired Andy Coulson
Andy Coulson
Andrew Edward Coulson is an English journalist and political strategist.Coulson was the editor of the News of the World from 2003 until his resignation in 2007, following the conviction of one of the newspaper's reporters in relation to illegal phone-hacking.He subsequently joined David Cameron's...
as his communications director before Coulson was implicated in, and later arrested for his role in, the phone hacking. Cameron, who had spent his Christmas with Brooks, was accused by Ed Milliband of being "out of step with public opinion" and lacking leadership on the matter due to his "close relationships" with News International. Right-wing political commentator Peter Oborne
Peter Oborne
Peter Oborne is a British journalist and political commentator. He was educated at Sherborne School and The University of Cambridge. He is a Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph columnist, author of The Rise of Political Lying and The Triumph of the Political Class, and, with Frances Weaver, the...
argued that it was no longer possible assert that Cameron was "grounded with a decent set of values" after a "succession of chronic personal misjudgements", equating the scandal with Tony Blair's decision to go to war in Iraq as a turning point in his premiership, and calling for him to distance himself from Brooks.
2011 riots
During the riots2011 England riots
Between 6 and 10 August 2011, several London boroughs and districts of cities and towns across England suffered widespread rioting, looting and arson....
that began in London - first sparked on 6 August after a fatal police shooting two days before - have spread throughout England. Cameron returned from his holidays to chair the emergency COBRA committee. Police officers fought disturbances in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, involving hundreds of youths who set fire to shops and smashed store windows. There were also riots in Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
. Cameron announced that the number of officers on the streets of the capital would rise from 6,000 to 16,000 in a bid to stamp out escalating lawlessness. Steve Kavanagh, the Acting Met Commissioner, said: “That is a tactic that will be used if it is deemed necessary. We are not going to throw 180 years of community policing away lightly, but that does not mean that the Met is scared of using any tactics. “The Met does not want to use baton rounds, but if we get put into the position where it is best for the safety of property and lives in London then we will do so.” He said that the youth of the rioters was a consideration: “We had people as young as 11 arrested. Do we generally want to see police in London using that type of tactic on 11 year-olds?” Cameron said water cannon – until now only ever seen in the UK in Ulster
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
- will be available at 24 hours notice to deal with the “despicable violence” being carried out in cities across the country. In his strongest comments yet on the perpetrators of the violence, Mr Cameron said: “There are pockets of our society that are not only broken, but frankly sick...It is a complete lack of responsibility in parts of our society, people allowed to feel that the world owes them something.” Water cannons have been used this summer by police in Ulster and have been a regular sight at disturbances in the province. Despite calls for it to be used on the mainland – including after last year’s student riots in London – ministers have always ruled it out.
Cameron recalled Parliament on Thursday 11 August to make a statement and answer questions. He said that extended police powers would be considered, such as the ability to demand that suspected criminals remove face masks. Cameron promised that offenders would pay for their crimes after the riots, many of which were organised through social media services and mobile messaging systems.
The Prime Minister also announced a review of dispersal rules which could give police a "wider power of curfew". He said that police had failed in their initial response to the disturbances and insisted that he would press ahead with cuts in police budgets. Cameron said the root causes of the violence were cultural, not economic. "A culture that glorifies violence, shows disrespect to authority, and says everything about rights but nothing about responsibilities. The young people stealing flatscreen televisions and burning shops – that was not about politics or protest, it was about theft,". He added that "In too many cases, the parents of these children – if they are still around – don't care where their children are or who they are with, let alone what they are doing," he said.
In a speech given on 15 August in Whitney, Oxfordshire, Cameron said that the riots have been a “wake-up call” for Britain. Cameron blamed “children without fathers; schools without discipline; reward without effort; crime without punishment; rights without responsibilities; communities without control”. Mending that “broken society”, Mr Cameron said, his fundamental aim in politics. “Do we have the determination to confront the slow-motion moral collapse that has taken place in parts of our country these past few generations,” he asked. “Do we have the determination to confront all this and turn it around? “I have the very strong sense that the responsible majority of people in this country not only have that determination; they are crying out for their government to act upon it. And I can assure you, I will not be found wanting.” Bill Bratton, Mr Cameron’s controversial US crime adviser, warned that soft policing and sentencing had “emboldened” criminals in recent years. Cameron echoed that remark in his analysis of the wider problems of society. “Some of the worst aspects of human nature have been tolerated, indulged — sometimes even incentivised — by a state and its agencies that in parts have become literally demoralised,” he said.
Royal succession change
In October 2011 Cameron wrote to the heads of government of the Commonwealth in which he said that he wished to change the succession law and end the ban on spouses of Catholics ascending to the throne and give women the same rights of succession as men. However Cameron needs the 15 other Commonwealth nations to agree to the changes. In his letter, Mr Cameron said: "We espouse gender equality in all other aspects of life and it is an anomaly that in the rules relating to the highest public office we continue to enshrine male superiority". The change would mean a first-born daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge could become Queen. Cameron also said the ban on any monarch married to a Roman Catholic was an "historical anomaly" and could not "continue to be justified". Cameron did not propose changing the ban on monarchs themselves being Catholic because the British monarch is also supreme governor of the Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
.
On 28 October 2011 the leaders of the 16 Commonwealth countries where the Queen is head of state, unanimously approved the changes at a summit in Perth, Australia. Sons and daughters of any future UK monarch will have equal right to the throne. It means a first-born daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will take precedence over younger brothers. The ban on the monarch being married to a Roman Catholic was also lifted. Cameron said they would apply to descendents of the Prince of Wales. Cameron said that The idea a younger son should become monarch instead of an elder daughter simply because he's a man... is at odds with the modern countries we have become "Put simply, if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were to have a little girl, that girl would one day be our queen," he said. "The idea that a younger son should become monarch instead of an elder daughter simply because he is a man, or that a future monarch can marry someone of any faith except a Catholic - this way of thinking is at odds with the modern countries that we have become."
Euro crisis
In November 2011 after Chancellor Angela Merkel made a speech saying that "Europe is in one of its toughest, perhaps the toughest hour since World War Two," she added that "If the euro fails then Europe fails, and we want to prevent and we will prevent this, this is what we are working for, because it is such a huge historical project,"Cameron said that leaving the EU was “not in our national interest” but said he felt “very personally” that now was the time for a fundamental reconsideration of European relations. He added that: “Think how the European Union, as it is tonight, looks to those with growing economies watching from Sao Paulo, from Delhi or indeed Washington. Not – as it should be – a place to admire and emulate … but a source of alarm and crisis.” He accused the EU of being “out of touch” with European citizens. “It’s the pointless interference, rules and regulations that stifle growth not unleash it,” the Prime Minister said. “The sense that the EU is somehow an abstract end in itself, immune from developments in the real world, rather than a means of helping to deliver better living standards for the people of its nations.” He said: “It does not have to be like this. Out of crisis can come opportunity for the European Union, if its member states are ready to grasp it.”
Deficit reduction
Cameron admitted in November 2011 that reducing Britain's debts was proving "harder than anyone envisaged". He blamed the same debts for acting as a "drag on growth" and insisted that the Government had to press on with its deficit reduction plans. He said that reducing the deficit was "line one, clause one and part one" of the Government's strategy for business and that "everything else was extra." He added that there was no justification for claims that additional spending now would pay off later."Yes, there are some who seriously try to argue that additional spending and borrowing will actually lead to less debt in the end, despite the fact that no evidence supports this assertion".
Cabinet appointments
A press conference on the new cabinetCabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
took place at 14:15 on 12 May 2010 between the media, David Cameron and Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
. Soon after Cameron took office, it was confirmed that Clegg would be appointed to the semi-official role of Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some counties, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both...
, whilst George Osborne
George Osborne
George Gideon Oliver Osborne, MP is a British Conservative politician. He is the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom, a role to which he was appointed in May 2010, and has been the Member of Parliament for Tatton since 2001.Osborne is part of the old Anglo-Irish aristocracy, known in...
would become the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
. William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
was appointed Foreign Secretary. The post of Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
went to Theresa May
Theresa May
Theresa Mary May is a British Conservative politician who is Home Secretary in the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition government. She was elected to Parliament in 1997 as the Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, and served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party, 2003–04...
. Cameron's Cabinet includes Clegg and four other Liberal Democrats: Danny Alexander
Danny Alexander
Daniel Grian Alexander is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been Chief Secretary to the Treasury since 2010. He has been the Member of Parliament for the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey constituency since 2005....
, Vince Cable, Chris Huhne
Chris Huhne
Christopher Murray Paul-Huhne, generally known as Chris Huhne is a British politician and cabinet minister, who is the current Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for the Eastleigh constituency in Hampshire...
, and David Laws
David Laws
David Anthony Laws is a British politician. He is Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Yeovil and former Chief Secretary to the Treasury....
.
On 29 May 2010 David Laws resigned as Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the third most senior ministerial position in HM Treasury, after the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer . In recent years, the office holder has usually been given a junior position in the British Cabinet...
after admitting he claimed expenses to pay rent to his partner. He was succeeded by Liberal Democrat Scottish Secretary
Secretary of State for Scotland
The Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...
Danny Alexander
Danny Alexander
Daniel Grian Alexander is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been Chief Secretary to the Treasury since 2010. He has been the Member of Parliament for the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey constituency since 2005....
, who was in turn replaced by Liberal Democrat Michael Moore
Michael Moore (UK politician)
Michael Kevin Moore is a British Liberal Democrat politician, currently the Secretary of State for Scotland in the UK coalition government, and the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk....
.
Emergency budget
During the election campaign, the Conservatives had promised to hold an emergency budget within fifty days of coming to office. The budgetUnited Kingdom budget
The United Kingdom budget deals with HM Treasury budgeting the revenues gathered by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and expenditures of public sector departments, in compliance with government policy.Adjustment is achieved with the GDP deflator....
, the first of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, was presented by Chancellor George Osborne
George Osborne
George Gideon Oliver Osborne, MP is a British Conservative politician. He is the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom, a role to which he was appointed in May 2010, and has been the Member of Parliament for Tatton since 2001.Osborne is part of the old Anglo-Irish aristocracy, known in...
at 12:30pm on 22 June and aimed to reduce the national debt accumulated by the Blair-Brown government. In his speech Osborne quoted data and forecasts made by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility
Office for Budget Responsibility
The Office for Budget Responsibility provides independent economic forecasts as background to the preparation of the UK budget. It was formally created in May 2010 following the general election, although it had previously been constituted in shadow form by the Conservative party opposition in...
that was formed by the coalition soon after they took up office. Highlights of the budget included a 2.5% increase in VAT
Value added tax
A value added tax or value-added tax is a form of consumption tax. From the perspective of the buyer, it is a tax on the purchase price. From that of the seller, it is a tax only on the "value added" to a product, material or service, from an accounting point of view, by this stage of its...
to 20% and a large reduction in public spending. Concerns were raised about the impact the VAT raise would have on the less well off, and the effects which would be felt by those working in the public sector. During a televised discussion with members of the public
Britain's Economy: Cameron and Clegg Face the Audience
Britain's Economy: Cameron and Clegg Face the Audience is a special live political debate programme which was aired on BBC television on the evening of Wednesday 23 June 2010...
on 23 June Cameron admitted that the pensions of existing public sector workers would be cut.
See also
- Premiership of Gordon BrownPremiership of Gordon BrownThe Premiership of Gordon Brown began on 27 June 2007, when Brown accepted the Queen's invitation to form a government, replacing Tony Blair as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and ended with his resignation as Prime Minister on 11 May 2010...
(BrownismBrownismIn British politics Brownism describes the political ideology of former Labour leader and former prime minister Gordon Brown. Supporters are considered to be Brownite....
) - United Kingdom coalition government 2010 to present
External links
- Simon JenkinsSimon JenkinsSir Simon David Jenkins is a British newspaper columnist and author, and since November 2008 has been chairman of the National Trust. He currently writes columns for both The Guardian and London's Evening Standard, and was previously a commentator for The Times, which he edited from 1990 to 1992...
David Cameron faces toughest hand of cards ever dealt a new prime minister The Guardian, 11 May 2010 - Tory-Lib Dem coalition: Now for the difficult part BBC News, 11 May 2010
- The coalition cabinet and ministerial appointments PoliticsHome, 12 May 2010
- Can Pakistan stomach Cameron's WikiLeaks remarks? Radio France Internationale, 5 August 2010