Old foes unite in smiles to governa troubled Britain
Source: Agencies |
May 13, 2010, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FORMER rivals David Cameron and Nick Clegg hailed their new coalition government as the coming of a new era in British politics yesterday, glossing over policy differences but pledging to tackle the country's most pressing problem, the deficit.
The Conservative and Liberal Democrat leaders stood in Downing Street's London garden and promised their partnership was united by common purpose and would survive for a full five-year term.
They pledged sweeping reform to Parliament, civil liberties laws and ties to Europe.
With handshakes, wide smiles and a sprinkling of jokes, Cameron and Clegg showcased their extraordinary pact, which ousted ex-leader Gordon Brown, whose Labour Party held power for 13 years.
The one-time foes banded together after Britain's election last week denied all parties a majority, leaving the country with its first hung Parliament since 1974.
Britons struggling to make ends meet during a punishing recession gave no single group a mandate, and many were left enraged at politicians of all stripes after a damaging lawmakers' expense scandal last year.
"Until today, we have been rivals; now we are colleagues," said Clegg - the surprise upstart of Britain's election campaign. He turned to Cameron and said: "This is what the new politics looks like."
Cameron, the new prime minister, has appointed their joint Cabinet - including four other Liberal Democrats - and the men laid out a five-year program.
They pledged to keep Britain out of the euro currency until 2015 at least, agreed upon immediate 6-billion-pound (US$9-billion) cuts to government waste and vowed House of Lords members would be elected, rather than appointed.
Cameron said the government would immediately begin tackling Britain's record 153-billion-pound deficit and convened a first meeting of the new National Security Council, focused on the war in Afghanistan.
Both look deeply relaxed in each other's company.
Reminded he had once been asked "What's your favorite joke" and answered "Nick Clegg," Cameron responded with an exaggerated grimace while Clegg asked, "did you really say that?" - and pretended to walk away from the podium.
"Come back," Cameron implored, adopting a comic tone, predicting former rivals on both sides would "have things that we said thrown back at us."
One of the first congratulatory calls to Cameron came from US President Barack Obama, an acknowledgment of Britain's most vital ally.
Obama invited Cameron to visit the US this summer.
Cameron and Clegg have acknowledged that Labour's government under ex-leader Tony Blair was too closely tied to US interests.
Both men back the Afghanistan mission, but Cameron hopes to withdraw British troops within five years. Clegg has said he's uneasy at a rising death toll.
New Foreign Secretary William Hague told the BBC that the new government wanted a "solid but not slavish relationship" with the US."
"No doubt we will not agree on everything," Hague said of the US. "But they remain, in intelligence matters, in nuclear matters, in international diplomacy, in what we are doing in Afghanistan, the indispensable partner of this country."
Relations with European neighbors could become problematic. Cameron's party is deeply skeptical over cooperation in Europe and has withdrawn from an alliance with the parties of Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Nicolas Sarkozy.
Clegg is staunchly pro-European.
Their coalition pact includes a tough stance over Europe, pledging to oppose the transfer of any additional sovereign power to Brussels.
Cameron extended his first invitation for formal talks to Sarkozy, who will visit London on June 18.
Labour, meanwhile, took steps to regroup, with the maneuvering under way for the job of party leader.
David Miliband, the former foreign secretary, has emerged as a top candidate and has earned the backing of another early favorite, former Home Secretary Alan Johnson.
Brown's deputy, Harriet Harman, becomes interim Labour leader until a formal leadership takes place to select his permanent successor.
The 43-year-old Cameron became Britain's youngest prime minister in almost 200 years. The last was Lord Liverpool at 42.
Cameron named 38-year-old Conservative lawmaker George Osborne as Treasury chief, the youngest chancellor for more than a century.
Liberal Democrat negotiator David Laws was appointed as chief secretary to the Treasury, a highly respected role as deputy to Osborne.
Both sides made compromises to strike their deal.
Cameron promised Clegg a referendum on his key issue, reform of Britain's electoral system aimed at a more proportional system.
In turn, Clegg ditched his opposition to a 20-billion-pound program to replace the nation's fleet of nuclear-armed submarines.
The Conservative and Liberal Democrat leaders stood in Downing Street's London garden and promised their partnership was united by common purpose and would survive for a full five-year term.
They pledged sweeping reform to Parliament, civil liberties laws and ties to Europe.
With handshakes, wide smiles and a sprinkling of jokes, Cameron and Clegg showcased their extraordinary pact, which ousted ex-leader Gordon Brown, whose Labour Party held power for 13 years.
The one-time foes banded together after Britain's election last week denied all parties a majority, leaving the country with its first hung Parliament since 1974.
Britons struggling to make ends meet during a punishing recession gave no single group a mandate, and many were left enraged at politicians of all stripes after a damaging lawmakers' expense scandal last year.
"Until today, we have been rivals; now we are colleagues," said Clegg - the surprise upstart of Britain's election campaign. He turned to Cameron and said: "This is what the new politics looks like."
Cameron, the new prime minister, has appointed their joint Cabinet - including four other Liberal Democrats - and the men laid out a five-year program.
They pledged to keep Britain out of the euro currency until 2015 at least, agreed upon immediate 6-billion-pound (US$9-billion) cuts to government waste and vowed House of Lords members would be elected, rather than appointed.
Cameron said the government would immediately begin tackling Britain's record 153-billion-pound deficit and convened a first meeting of the new National Security Council, focused on the war in Afghanistan.
Both look deeply relaxed in each other's company.
Reminded he had once been asked "What's your favorite joke" and answered "Nick Clegg," Cameron responded with an exaggerated grimace while Clegg asked, "did you really say that?" - and pretended to walk away from the podium.
"Come back," Cameron implored, adopting a comic tone, predicting former rivals on both sides would "have things that we said thrown back at us."
One of the first congratulatory calls to Cameron came from US President Barack Obama, an acknowledgment of Britain's most vital ally.
Obama invited Cameron to visit the US this summer.
Cameron and Clegg have acknowledged that Labour's government under ex-leader Tony Blair was too closely tied to US interests.
Both men back the Afghanistan mission, but Cameron hopes to withdraw British troops within five years. Clegg has said he's uneasy at a rising death toll.
New Foreign Secretary William Hague told the BBC that the new government wanted a "solid but not slavish relationship" with the US."
"No doubt we will not agree on everything," Hague said of the US. "But they remain, in intelligence matters, in nuclear matters, in international diplomacy, in what we are doing in Afghanistan, the indispensable partner of this country."
Relations with European neighbors could become problematic. Cameron's party is deeply skeptical over cooperation in Europe and has withdrawn from an alliance with the parties of Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Nicolas Sarkozy.
Clegg is staunchly pro-European.
Their coalition pact includes a tough stance over Europe, pledging to oppose the transfer of any additional sovereign power to Brussels.
Cameron extended his first invitation for formal talks to Sarkozy, who will visit London on June 18.
Labour, meanwhile, took steps to regroup, with the maneuvering under way for the job of party leader.
David Miliband, the former foreign secretary, has emerged as a top candidate and has earned the backing of another early favorite, former Home Secretary Alan Johnson.
Brown's deputy, Harriet Harman, becomes interim Labour leader until a formal leadership takes place to select his permanent successor.
The 43-year-old Cameron became Britain's youngest prime minister in almost 200 years. The last was Lord Liverpool at 42.
Cameron named 38-year-old Conservative lawmaker George Osborne as Treasury chief, the youngest chancellor for more than a century.
Liberal Democrat negotiator David Laws was appointed as chief secretary to the Treasury, a highly respected role as deputy to Osborne.
Both sides made compromises to strike their deal.
Cameron promised Clegg a referendum on his key issue, reform of Britain's electoral system aimed at a more proportional system.
In turn, Clegg ditched his opposition to a 20-billion-pound program to replace the nation's fleet of nuclear-armed submarines.
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