Hughes Lib Dem plea: Stay with us

Danny Alexander: Coalition bringing in many Lib Dem policies

The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition is “rock solid” and will last a full five years, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander has said.

He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that a number of Lib Dem MPs were unhappy with the tuition fees rise, but not with the coalition as a whole.

He said it was bringing in key Lib Dem policies such as a referendum on voting and taking poor people out of taxation.

John Denham told the same show Labour “was reaching out” to unhappy Lib Dems.

The shadow business secretary said Labour was showing it was not “tribal” under Ed Miliband’s leadership

Mr Denham said Labour had worked very hard to try and head off the tuition fees rise, and would continue to work with others who were “progressive”.

However former Conservative Prime Minister Sir John Major dismissed talk that the coalition was under threat because of unhappiness amongst both Conservative and Lib Dem MPs.

Sir John said that there might be difficulties at the moment but people had to “hold their courage”, and things would come right.

He said that the Lib Dems would share credit from voters ahead of the next election for the work the coalition had done in tackling the economic situation inherited.

Sir John also dismissed the idea of a merger between the Conservatives and Lib Dems, although he repeated his belief that the coalition could continue through an election.

And he said Mr Denham’s comments earlier on the programme had “made my blood boil”.

He said the Conservatives and Lib Dems had come together in the national interest and said this was not a time “to be playing party games”.

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