Liberals could influence immigration policy
By Charles Kelly
08 May 2009
With nearly all seats declared in the UK General Election, the leading party, David Cameron’s Conservatives, has failed to win enough seats to gain an overall majority and form a Government and Britain will have its first hung Parliament since 1974.
The Conservative party needed to win at least 326 seats, out of 650, for an overall majority (more seats than all the other parties) in order to form the next Government, but look set to gain 307 seats with one more constituency to be decided.
Despite Cameron winning two million more votes than the ruling Labour party and over 50% of the vote, he has not done enough to form a Government alone and Britain will have a 'hung' parliament with no party gaining enough seats to rule with an outright majority.
This means that the two main party leaders, David Cameron or Labour’s current Prime Minister Gordon Brown, will have to make a pact with the next largest party, Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats to form a coalition Government with a working majority.
Nick Clegg, who favours an amnesty for illegal migrants and regional based migration, will have an important influence over government policy on a range of issues including immigration and electoral reform. For the first time since 1974 no one party will have a free reign or absolute power to change laws.
The Conservatives want a cap on immigration and a crackdown on student visas, policies which will not be popular with the more left wing Liberal Democrat MPs’. Equally, Nick Clegg’s ideas on granting an amnesty for overstayers will be totally out of favour with Conservatives.
The last three Labour Governments have held a commanding majority in Parliament giving them the power to push through often unpopular legislation virtually unchallenged. By contrast, most Western European Governments work as a coalition with no party holding a majority.
Other stories: http://www.immigrationmatters.co.uk/category/news
Conservative leader David Cameron has reached out to the Liberal Democrats in an effort to form a government – after yesterday’s UK general election resulted in the first hung parliament since 1974.
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