Cameron is Prime Minister of UK

After a tumultuous five days of uncertainty, David Cameron became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at 8.35pm on May 11th, 2010. The event, formally known as Kissing Hands, capped a period of uncertainty stemming from the election on May 6th. But Cameron's elevation does not come without cost; he must govern in coalition with the Liberal Democrats.

That Cameron would become Prime Minister was not at all certain over the weekend. Negotiations between Cameron's Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats appeared to be going well, but they still had not reached a conclusion by Monday morning, a deadline both parties had indicated they wanted to meet to "calm markets." Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats had pledged to speak first to David Cameron as he had won both the most seats and votes in the election. But the Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the Labour party dealt the Conservatives a blow by agreeing to step aside as leader of the Labour party and Prime Minister. Talks between Labour and the Liberal Democrats opened immediately, with many in the Liberal Democrat camp stating they felt more comfortable being in government with the left-leaning Labour than the right-wing Conservatives.

The key demand of the Liberal Democrats, and the key stumbling block to a deal with the Conservatives, was the Liberal Democrat demand for electoral reform to see more proportional representation. The Conservatives were offering no more than a referendum on the reform proposal, against which they intended to campaign. Labour, on the other hand, were offering legislation without the need to go to the electorate. This was more appealing to the Liberal Democrats, but they had previously indicated they would not belong in any coalition headed by Prime Minister Brown. By taking himself out of the picture, a coalition between the two left-leaning parties was more likely.

In the end, the task of getting a majority proved elusive. Combined, Labour and the Liberal Democrats still fell short and would have had to rely on smaller nationalist parties to survive. But that seemed remote when Labour grandees publicly stated that they would not support a coalition that included these parties. During the day of May 11th, it became increasingly clear that Labour MPs themselves did not support a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. The coalition, if it was to be formed, would need every Labour and every Liberal Democrat member's full support to survive. At a quarter past seven in the evening, Gordon Brown emerged -- accompanied by his wife -- to announce he was leaving office immediately and would advise the Queen to send for David Cameron and to ask him to form the next administration. By seven thirty Britain was without a Prime Minister.

In little over an hour that would change. After "kissing hands," David Cameron left the palace and stood before Number 10 Downing Street. He gave an off-the-cuff speech with his pregnant wife standing off to the side.

The next morning, Britons awoke to find out that David Cameron and Nick Clegg would govern in a coalition whose combined total of seats combined for a majority seventy six. Nick Clegg would be Deputy Prime Minister, and several more of his Liberal Democrats would also have cabinet positions. The two parties announced an agreement that included a referendum on electoral reform and legislation about fixed-term parliaments, recall of MPs guilty of wrong-doing, legislation on a partly or wholly elected House of Lords, and so on. And so, for the first time since World War II, a coalition now governs the United Kingdom.

Jason Jorgenson is an old friend of Fat Man After Dark. He is a Brit currently exiled by the Time Lord High Council to the United States and is a proud Scottish Tory. He has a love for parliamentary procedure, buffets, and the non-word irregardless.