I would assume that will rule out any referendum on the EU as all three main parties are against leaving the EU whatever they say?
David Cameron plans for second coalition with Liberal Democrats
David Cameron has started planning for a second coalition with the Liberal Democrats after 2015, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.
David Cameron and Nick Clegg in the Downing Street rose garden announcing the formation of a coalition government in 2010. Photo: Getty Images
9:51PM BST 18 Aug 2013
The Prime Minister has held private talks with Cabinet ministers over new Conservative Party rules which would make it easier to strike another deal.
Under the plans, backbench Tories would be consulted on the new power-sharing agreement with the final text being put to them in a vote.
Mr Cameron wants Conservative MPs to put their names to any second coalition agreement and “dip their hands in the blood”, a senior source said. Tory backbenchers unhappy at Mr Cameron’s deal with Mr Clegg have launched a string of rebellions since the last election, on issues including Europe, Lords reform and gay marriage.
Some rebels say they do not feel bound to back all the Coalition’s policies because they were not consulted about them. Mr Cameron is understood to want to avoid such a situation if he is forced to agree a second coalition.
It is hoped the new rules would help to persuade sceptical MPs to give their full backing to a new deal.
The disclosure that plans are under way for another coalition is likely to infuriate some Conservative MPs, who blame Mr Cameron for failing to secure a majority in 2010 and believe his record will cost the party outright victory in 2015.
The discussions reflect the continuing fear among senior Tories that the party will once again fall short of outright victory at the next election.
Despite growing Conservative optimism about an economic recovery and the performance of Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, some ministers believe that the next election is still likely to produce another hung parliament.
If the Conservatives end up as the largest party but without a full Commons majority in May 2015, Mr Cameron might face calls for his resignation or a challenge to his position. However, allies insist he would attempt to stay on and form another Government, and would be prepared to consider a second deal with the Lib Dems.
One Conservative Cabinet minister told The Daily Telegraph that the Prime Minister and his team are considering what they can learn from their Coalition partners about getting agreement for a power-sharing deal.
In 2010, Lib Dem party rules forced leader Nick Clegg to consult the party’s MPs, peers and members about the details of the coalition agreement, giving them all opportunities to vote on the power-sharing deal with the Tories.
There was no formal consultation with Conservative MPs or members, something that some ministers believe has encouraged dissent among backbenchers. Conservative whips estimate that at least 30 of the party’s 304 MPs are “irreconcilables”, having never accepted the coalition deal with the Lib Dems and not feeling obliged to support Mr Cameron.
The Tory Cabinet minister said senior Conservatives are studying the Lib Dem approach to agreeing a deal. “[The Lib Dems] had meeting after meeting about the deal. Yes, it took a bit longer, but it meant that every one of them was actively signed up to the Coalition, and that’s meant they’ve been quite disciplined, all things considered,” the minister said.
By contrast, Conservative MPs were given little say on the coalition deal, which was presented to them in one brief evening meeting at Westminster, after Mr Cameron had finished negotiating with Mr Clegg. “It meant a lot of them don’t feel they had a say so they aren’t under the same obligation to be supportive,” the minister said. “We want to avoid that if we have to do it again.”
No decision has been made about how Conservative MPs might be consulted, but backbenchers would likely be asked for their views on parts of any new power-sharing agreement as it was negotiated.
A Conservative government source insisted that it was “only sensible” to prepare for a possible hung parliament. “Of course we want to win outright, but if we don’t, we should be ready for the alternatives,” said the source. All three parties are privately considering how another coalition might be formed after the 2015 election.
Another Conservative minister said the prospect of another coalition deal will influence the way the party writes its manifesto for 2015, signalling where it is willing to negotiate with another party.
The manifesto could distinguish between “core” promises that would be non-negotiable and pledges where a compromise was possible, the minister said. “Voters are sensible and they understand that a bit of give and take is involved in these things,” the minister said.
A Lib Dem source said that the smaller party was rethinking the way its manifesto is drafted for 2015. The Lib Dems have faced a voter backlash for breaking their clear manifesto pledge not to allow university tuition fees to rise. Their next manifesto may contain fewer promises and more suggestions of areas of compromise. “If [a coalition] happens, we can’t have another tuition fees situation,” said the Lib Dem. “We’ll have to be more explicit about where we can do deals.”
Any coalition negotiations in 2015 would almost certainly take longer than in 2010, when a deal was settled in five days as the parties feared unease among voters and financial markets if a new government was not put in place quickly
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