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Inside Story

Ruling the UK

Is the new coalition a marriage of convenience or a dangerous compromise?

Last week’s British elections resulted in a hung parliament with no clear winner. This led to days of political negotiations between the UK’s three major parties.

Ultimately Labour party’s Gordon Brown submitted his resignation, in effect acknowledging defeat.

This cleared the path for a Conservative-led coalition government with David Cameron becoming the Uk’s new prime minister and Liberal-Democrat party leader Nick Clegg the deputy.

A marriage of convenience or a dangerous compromise? Can this coalition last? What implications does it have for government policy?

Joining the programme are Iain Dale, a political commentator and columnist, Mehdi Hasan, the New Statesman’s senior political editor, and Robin Shepherd, the director of international affairs at the Henry Jackson Society in London.
 
This episode of Inside Story can be seen from Thursday, May 13, at 1730GMT, with repeats at 2230GMT, and the next day at 0430GMT and 1030GMT.