A coalition government is when a government is made up of more than one political party. This occurred in the 2010 general election when the Conservatives failed to achieve an outright majority, therefore having to form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats.

One argument for is that the cabinet includes more than one political party, this means that the Prime Minister has to confer, with other MP’s and with the other party in the coalition, on all matters. This limits the patronage and decision-making power of the Prime Minister, and that he/ she has to share their power with another party, in order to come to a decision that both parties are happy with. An example of this was when the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats had to discuss the annual Spending Review and decide which taxes they should raise and cut. This led to both parties wanting to cut different taxes, which the other party wanted to raise, such as housing. If only one party was in government and the one Prime Minister had all the power, then they would have been able to cut and raise the taxes they wanted to, but being in a coalition...

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