The Prospects For The Coalition

Tuesday 18th May was a special Speakers Breakfast for JLA as we were joined by a trio of heavyweights: Michael Portillo, David Blunkett and Paddy Ashdown – with Huw Edwards in the chair.

With the General Election outcome decided, the big question was ‘what happens now?” What are the first priorities for the PM? Should we expect more cross-party cooperation? What impact will over 150 new MPs have on the way politics is conducted? And after all the promises about the scale and timing of tax rises and public spending cuts, what’s really in store for business and the public sector?

Portillo and Blunkett have held many of the key Cabinet posts – running Employment, Education, Defence and Work & Pensions. And whilst Blunkett was Home Secretary, Paddy Ashdown served as a UN High Representative – after eleven years as leader of the Liberal Democrats. Between them, they proved there are few speakers better equipped to offer insights into how the new administration will deal with the many and varied challenges looming on the horizon.