Coalition Launches New Year Strategy

The coalition government has pledged to ignore the differences between the two parties in order to remain steadfast and united in the face of the problems facing the UK.

David Cameron and Nick Clegg are launching their joint vision for the second half of parliament, which is expected to include more help with childcare and for elderly people.

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are expected to set out plans for a flat-rate childcare voucher paid through the tax system, a cap on social care costs, help with mortgages and transport investment through road tolls.

The move is seen by many as an attempt to begin the New Year afresh, by a government that has so far failed to attract the approval of the British public in poll ratings.

Labour has branded it "another relaunch".

In a joint statement, Cameron and Clegg said: "We are dealing with the deficit, rebuilding the economy, reforming welfare and education and supporting hard-working families through tough times. And on all of these key aims, our parties, after 32 months of coalition, remain steadfast and united.

"Of course there have been some issues on which we have not seen eye to eye, and no doubt there will be more. That is the nature of coalition. But on the things that matter most – the big structural reforms needed to secure our country's long-term future – our resolve and sense of shared purpose have, if anything, grown over time."

David Cameron was speaking to the BBC. He said the new document would show a coalition with "a full tank of gas".

"Far from running out of ideas, we have got a packed agenda, which concerns things like how do we build roads in Britain to make sure our economy keeps moving, how do we pay for the care for the elderly, how do we have a pension system that encourages saving – big things that are going to equip our country for the next decade."

(IT/GK)