The Cameron–Clegg coalition was formed by
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...
and
Nick Clegg
Sir Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967) is a British retired politician and media executive who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2015 and as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2007 to 2015. H ...
when Cameron was invited by Queen
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
to
form a new government, following the resignation of Prime Minister
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...
on 11 May 2010, after the
general election on 6 May. It was the UK's first
coalition government
A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...
since the
Churchill war ministry ended in 1945.
The coalition was led by Cameron as prime minister with Clegg as
deputy prime minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...
and composed of members of both Cameron's centre-right
Conservative Party and Clegg's centrist
Liberal Democrats. The
Cabinet was made up of sixteen Conservatives and five Liberal Democrats, with eight other Conservatives and one other Liberal Democrat attending cabinet but not members.
The coalition was succeeded by the single-party,
second Cameron ministry following the
2015 election.
History
The previous Parliament had been dissolved on 12 April 2010 in advance of the
general election on 6 May. The general election resulted in a
hung parliament
A hung parliament is a term used in legislatures primarily under the Westminster system (typically employing Majoritarian representation, majoritarian electoral systems) to describe a situation in which no single political party or pre-existing ...
, with no single party having an overall majority in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
, for the first time in
36 years. The Conservatives emerged having the most seats, but 20 short of an overall majority.
In the
Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition agreement of 11 May 2010, the two parties formed a coalition government. The new Parliament met on 18 May for the swearing-in of peers in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
and newly elected and returning members of parliament in the House of Commons, and the election for the
speakership of the House of Commons. The
Queen's Speech on 25 May set out the government's legislative agenda. Of the 57 Liberal Democrat MPs, only two refused to support the Conservative Coalition agreement, with former leader
Charles Kennedy and
Manchester Withington MP
John Leech both rebelling.
The Liberal Democrats had five Cabinet members, including
Nick Clegg
Sir Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967) is a British retired politician and media executive who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2015 and as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2007 to 2015. H ...
as
deputy prime minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...
, though after the Cabinet and ministerial
reshuffle,
David Laws, who was a
Minister of State
Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...
, was allowed to attend the Cabinet but was not a full member. If a Liberal Democrat minister resigned or was removed from office, another member of the same party would have had to be appointed to the Cabinet.
Each
cabinet committee had a chair from one party and a deputy chair from the other; there was also a cabinet committee specifically overseeing the operation of the coalition. Both parties' ministers shared
collective responsibility for the government's positions, although the coalition agreement detailed several issues on which the parties agreed to differ; the Liberal Democrats abstained from voting in such cases. Clegg, as Deputy Prime Minister, took
Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) when
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...
was unavailable.
Key decisions were made by a core group called the "Quad", made up of Cameron, Clegg,
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and the head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, t ...
George Osborne and
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander, which decided "all major matters of policy" and resolved disputes between the two parties.
While the
government's front benchers sat together in the House of Commons and the two parties acted as a bloc during PMQs,
the Liberal Democrat and Conservative
backbenchers sat apart and each had their own
whips,
and the two parties competed in
by-elections
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections.
A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...
. On 4 September 2012, Cameron
reshuffled his cabinet for the first time. He
reshuffled his cabinet for the second time on 14 July 2014.
Cabinets
May 2010 – September 2012
Changes
*
David Laws resigned as Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 29 May 2010 because of an
expenses irregularity dating from the previous Parliament. He was replaced by
Danny Alexander, who was in turn replaced as Secretary of State for Scotland by
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. Moore's work frequently addresses various Social issue, social, political, and economic topics. He first became publicly known for his award-winning debut ...
.
* On 14 October 2011
Liam Fox resigned as Secretary of State for Defence following the procurement of high-level overseas meetings attendance for his friend and advisor,
Adam Werrity, working for a private contractor, and stated that he had "mistakenly allowed the distinction between my personal interest and my government activities to become blurred".
His successor was
Philip Hammond, who was replaced as Transport Secretary by
Justine Greening
Justine Greening (born 30 April 1969) is a British former politician who was the Secretary of State for Education from 2016 to 2018. Prior to that, she was Economic Secretary to the Treasury from 2010 to 2011, Secretary of State for Transport f ...
, the
Economic Secretary to the Treasury
The Economic Secretary to the Treasury is a junior ministerial post in HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury, ranked below the First Lord of the Treasury, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Paymaster General a ...
, who was in turn replaced by
Chloe Smith
Chloe Rebecca Smith (born 17 May 1982) is a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Norwich North from 2009 to 2024. She previously se ...
, an assistant government whip: she was replaced in turn by
Greg Hands.
* On 3 February 2012
Chris Huhne resigned as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change following the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service to
prosecute him and his former wife. His successor was
Ed Davey, who was replaced as a
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills by
Norman Lamb, replaced in his previous dual roles by
Jenny Willott as an Assistant Whip and
Jo Swinson as the
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister.
September 2012 – July 2014
, 2010–15
, -
,
Minister of State for Government Policy
, style="background:" ,
,
Oliver Letwin
, 2010–15
, -
,
Minister of State for the Cabinet Office Minister of State for Schools
, style="background:" ,
,
David Laws
, 2012–15
, -
,
Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Senior Minister of State for Faith and Communities
, style="background:" ,
,
Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi
, 2012–14
, -
,
Minister of State for Universities and Science
, style="background:" ,
,
David Willetts
David Linsay Willetts, Baron Willetts, (born 9 March 1956) is a British politician and life peer. From 1992 to 2015, he was the Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Havant in Hampshire. He served as Minister of State for Uni ...
, 2010–14
, -
, rowspan="2",
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
The Financial Secretary to the Treasury is a mid-level ministerial post in HM Treasury. It is nominally the fifth most significant ministerial role within the Treasury after the first lord of the Treasury, the chancellor of the Exchequer, the ch ...
, style="background:" ,
,
Sajid Javid
, 2013–14
, -
, style="background:#0087DC" ,
,
Nicky Morgan
, 2014
, -
,
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is a government minister without specific responsibility as head of a government department. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet with decision-making authorit ...
Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party
, style="background:" ,
,
Grant Shapps
Sir Grant Shapps (born 14 September 1968) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Defence from August 2023 to July 2024. Shapps previously served in various Cabinet of the United Kingdom, cabinet posts, including Chairman of ...
, 2012–15
, -
, style="background:#cccccc;" colspan="4" , Also attends cabinet when ministerial responsibilities are on the agenda
, -
,
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
, style="background:" ,
,
Dominic Grieve
, 2010–14
, -
,
Minister of State for Cities and Constitution
, style="background:" ,
,
Greg Clark
Gregory David Clark (born 28 August 1967) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from 2016 to 2019. He also was Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2015 t ...
, 2012–14
Changes
* On 19 October 2012,
Andrew Mitchell resigned as Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons following
controversy surrounding an argument with police officers in
Downing Street
Downing Street is a gated street in City of Westminster, Westminster in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In a cul-de-sac situated off Whiteh ...
. He was replaced by
Sir George Young.
* On 7 January 2013,
Lord Strathclyde resigned as Leader of the House of Lords and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He was replaced by
Lord Hill of Oareford.
* On 7 October 2013,
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. Moore's work frequently addresses various Social issue, social, political, and economic topics. He first became publicly known for his award-winning debut ...
was replaced as Secretary of State for Scotland by
Alistair Carmichael, during a reshuffle which focused on junior ministerial ranks.
* On 9 April 2014,
Maria Miller resigned as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Minister for Women and Equalities. She was replaced as Culture Secretary and Minister for Equalities by
Sajid Javid, and by
Nicky Morgan as Minister for Women. Morgan, who succeeded Javid as
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
The Financial Secretary to the Treasury is a mid-level ministerial post in HM Treasury. It is nominally the fifth most significant ministerial role within the Treasury after the first lord of the Treasury, the chancellor of the Exchequer, the ch ...
, was not a full cabinet member but attended meetings in her role as Minister for Women.
July 2014 – May 2015
Changes
* On 5 August 2014,
Baroness Warsi resigned as Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and as Minister for Faith and Community, in protest at the Government's response to the
conflict in the Gaza Strip. She was replaced at the Foreign Office by
Baroness Anelay of St John's, with
Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles taking on Warsi's former Faith and Community brief.
List of ministers
Prime Minister and Cabinet Office
Departments of State
Law officers
Parliament
See also
*
Fox–North coalition
*
Theresa May's tenure as Home Secretary
*
Premiership of David Cameron
*
Lib–Con pact
*
Lib–Lab pact
*
List of acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
*
Shadow Cabinet of Ed Miliband
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron-Clegg coalition
British ministries
Government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
Coalition governments of the United Kingdom
Premiership of David Cameron
Nick Clegg
2010 establishments in the United Kingdom
2010s in British politics
Ministries of Elizabeth II
Cabinets established in 2010
2015 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
Cabinets disestablished in 2015
Conservative Party (UK) cabinets