Nick Clegg made this statement on 11 May 2011:

"Tonight the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party and the Federal Executive of the Liberal Democrat party have overwhelmingly accepted my recommendation that we should now enter into a coalition government with the Conservative Party."

"Before I say anything more about that coalition government I would like to express my thanks and admiration for Gordon Brown. He has been a towering figure in British politics for well over a decade. And the manner in which he has acted over the last few days has demonstrated immense dignity, grace and a profound sense of his public duty.

"We are now going to form a new government More importantly than anything else, we are going to form a new kind of government; I hope this is the start of a new kind of politics I have always believed in. Diverse, plural, where politicians with different points of view find a way to work together to provide the good government for the sake of the whole country deserves.

"That was what we were asked to do by the people of Britain in the General Election last Thursday and that is what we will deliver."

For the full text of the Statement, please visit Wimbledon Parliamentary Spokesperson Shas Sheehan's website.

Responding to the Statement, Chairman of Merton Liberal Democrats, Anthony Fairclough said:

"We know that the Conservatives won the most seats and votes, and that our Parliamentary leadership rightly made it clear all along that the
party with the most votes and seats should be given the first chance to form a Government.

We also know that Labour lost the election, and also that they were not serious about negotiating an alternative - the comments of a
number of senior Labour MPs made that very clear. The currently incarnation of the Labour party is illiberal, and not terribly progressive.

For the first time in a generation it now looks as if we will have Liberal Democrat ministers able to make liberal decisions in Government, with this coalition.

It is also beginning to be clear that we have achieved significant policy concessions from the Conservatives on progressive issues - on fairer taxation, on banking, inheritance tax, and on funding for schools - not to mention changes to the structure of politics, fixed-term parliaments and voting reform.

It's also clear that we have not been able to implement everything in our manifesto, but that's not surprising given we are not the majority
party in Parliament. Those policies and plans must wait for another day. And, in my opinion, it is better to have Liberal Democrats reigning in some of the worst instincts of a Tory Government. If we are successful in achieving some form of fairer voting system, then there are going to be many more coalition Governments - and it has to be possible for all the parties to work together in different arrangements and line-ups to achieve as many of our aims as possible. 

Locally, we are discussing with all parties the shape of the new Council administration. We are using our influence to test the
parties' manifestos, to highlight the flaws and challenge the assumptions. We will always work to protect key services, to improve transparency and openness in decision-making, to help people to help themselves to make Merton a better place. We will never shy away from criticising any party or holding them to account.

But I want to know what you think - please write to me and let me know, about both the national and the local position - you can write
directly to me by using the contact details here."