Clegg meets party MPs, discuss Tories offer

H S Rao
London, May 8 (PTI) Liberal Democrats leader Nick
Clegg, who has emerged as the kingmaker in the UK polls,
Saturday held consultations with his MPs to discuss a
power-sharing offer from the Conservatives on the eve a
crucial meeting with Tories.
The Conservatives, who won 306 seats in the 650-member
House of Commons, had reached out to Liberal Democrats asking
them to support in forming a government.
The Liberal Democrats, the third-biggest party, are
responding to Conservative leader David Cameron's "big,
comprehensive offer" after the May 6 General election resulted
in the first hung parliament for 36 years.
Clegg met senior Lib Dem MPs and wider parliamentary
party and sounded them out about the options before the party
-- either support Conservatives or align with ruling Labour.
Before going into the meeting, Clegg outlined
his party's priorities, including "fundamental political
reform", but said they were approaching negotiations in a
"constructive spirit".
Clegg will also meet his party's governing body, the
federal executive, to discuss Cameron's proposals as he will
need the support of a majority of MPs and the executive to
enter into any deal.
Clegg, Brown and Cameron appeared together at the
Cenotaph for VE Day celebrations.
Top negotiating teams from both Tories and Lib Dems
are due to meet Sunday morning and will try to thrash
out a pact that would finally oust Gordon Brown from 10,
Downing Street, British Prime Minister's official residence.
Conservatives and Liberal Democrat negotiators held
their first meeting Friday, even as Brown refused to concede
defeat and said he would wait for the two parties to
discuss about the deal first.
The tories want to finalise a power-sharing deal
before the financial markets open on Monday, but Clegg has
indicated that he is not in a hurry.
"We will very much be making the case for the big four
priorities that we've always said, well before this election
took place, would always guide us," Clegg told reporters.
BBC reported that an estimated 1,000 people gathered
outside the Lib Dem meeting in favour of electoral reform,
chanting "Fair votes now".
Accepting their petition, Clegg said: "Reforming
politics is one of the reasons I went into politics." He said
he believed it was in the national interest "for us to use
this opportunity to usher in a new politics".
Meanwhile Labour MP John Mann has called for Mr Brown
to step down as Labour leader - arguing his position "rules
out the credibility of a Lib/Lab pact".
"Gordon Brown has had a good run and whilst he was an
excellent chancellor he has been seen as a poor prime minister
who is out of touch and aloof. Labour lost votes because of
this," he said. PTI