Briefing note: 10 weeks on and the Lib Dems have had huge influence in Government

12.07.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 26th Jul 2010

In just 10 weeks since the start of the Coalition Government, the Liberal Democrats have exerted a huge influence over its agenda.

The Liberal Democrats had four key priorities going into this general election, which were: fairer taxes; a fair start for children; a fair voting system for all; and a green, sustainable economy.

Thanks to Lib Dem involvement, the Government will deliver on each of these.

There is also a large number of other Lib Dem policies and pledges that will now begin to make a real, positive difference to people's lives because of our role in the Coalition Government.

These include everything from rolling back the surveillance state and giving people back their civil liberties, to prison and NHS reforms, fairer pensions, the ending of child detention and the scrapping of the third runway at Heathrow.

Ian Swales, the MP for Redcar is delighted that this new coalition government is beginning to deliver on all these points: '' we have taken 800,000 people out of paying tax altogether in the last 10 weeks alone by raising the income tax threshold by £1000 in the budget. This will be increased every year in this parliament.''

''We also promised to restore the earnings link to pensions, which this coalition government will now do. We promised a fair start to all children and we are delivering a pupil premium to all children from poor backgrounds wherever they live in the country''

''Next May there will be a referendum on the Alternative Vote, giving the British People the chance to have their say and help to clean up politics, and we also have the creation of a green investment bank, bank reforms so that viable British Business can be created and sustained as well as tough action on dealing with the deficit that the last Labour government left us with.''

For a more complete picture please see http://www.libdems.org.uk/latest_news_detail.aspx?title=10_weeks_on_the_Lib_Dems_have_had_huge_influence_in_Government&pPK=56581a41-74a5-4f93-b2e7-844d5e829448