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The 2010 general election result was so finely balanced that only a combination of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats together could command a workable majority in the House of Commons. However, this combination meant that the Liberal Democrats had to abandon their centre-left positioning and, accepting the arithmetic conclusion of the election, help form a centre-right administration. This article explores how each of the main parties, in the days immediately following the election, worked through the potential political outcomes, and how they viewed the conflicts they posed between ideological traditions and instincts, personal relationships and party interests. It assesses the ideological, strategic and organisational aspects of the coalition and makes an interim assessment of the impact the arrangement may have on the British political landscape.
