Coalition drafts 'mid-term review'

Dec 13 2012

A "mid-term review" of the coalition Government will be published in the new year, Nick Clegg has said - although it is still to be finalised between the parties.

The Deputy Prime Minister said he had lengthy discussions with David Cameron about the document, which will present "important new steps" in policy.

Asked about the fate of the long-promised statement - which will also contain an audit on progress towards meeting the coalition agreement, Mr Clegg told the Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee: "We will be publishing it in the new year.

"In fact, the Prime Minister and I spent a fair amount of time yesterday afternoon going over some of the details."

He told the MPs: "It'll be quite a candid assessment, quite a simple sort of assessment of what we have done, but on the whole I hope it will actually surprise on the upside: we have achieved a great, great deal of the coalition agreement in terms of implementing it.

"The second part of it, which is still the subject of course of discussion within the coalition, is what new initiatives do we want to highlight or announce as being important new steps we want to take - legislative and policy steps - in the second part of the parliament.

"It will be very much flowing from many of the policy orientations we have already established but extending them further.

"I hope that provides both a candid assessment - a self-assessment if you like by the coalition Government - but also sets out some clear priorities for us in the remaining stages."