Ten weeks on...

12.40.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 26th Jul 2010

The coalition has only been in power for 10 weeks, but despite this short amount of time many Liberal Democrat manifesto pledges have been implemented or are due to be implemented. Only by the Liberal Democrats forming part of the coalition have these been made possible.

One of our main pledges was raising the income tax threshold. In last month's budget the coalition implemented this policy by raising it by £1,000; also the threshold will be increased every year of this parliament. The measure will initially save low and middle earners £200 a year. We also fulfilled another of our pledges in the budget, restoring the earnings link to pensions, as well as including a bank levy which will raise £2.5 bn from the banks, helping to pay back the financial support that the banks received from the tax payer in the bank bailout.

During the election we promised to help disadvantaged children in schools by introducing the pupil premium which will target extra money at the most disadvantaged children in society. This is something that I have been actively pursuing, by signing the Child Poverty Action group pledge.

The coalition agreement has brought about radical political reform which we promised. Constituents will now have the right to sack their MP if they are guilty of serious misconduct. There will now be fixed term parliaments of five years, so no longer can Prime Ministers call elections to their political advantage. We will move towards an elected House of Lords, elected by proportional representation. We will also clean up politics by creating a statutory register of lobbyists. We will work towards fairer votes by having a referendum on AV which is to take place in May 2011. The coalition believes that power is best to be given to local areas instead of hoarded in Westminster. That is why we want to radically devolve power and financial autonomy back to local authorities.

One of the main coalition objectives is to create a green and sustainable economy, in our manifesto we promised to both help the economy recover from the recession and create a green sustainable economy fit for 21st century Britain. The coalition will be setting up a green investment bank to help fund green enterprises. I am currently lobbying the Treasury to consider locating the administrative offices of the green investment bank in Teesside; such a move would provide much needed jobs to the area. We will help local businesses come out of the recession by making sure that banks lend to British businesses, providing investment which will help them thrive. The coalition has also set up a commission to separate the investment and retail branches of banking, to help prevent a financial crisis on the scale of what we have just witnessed. We will also make it easier to make businesses and homes are more energy efficient, both saving money and the environment. We outlined in our manifesto our commitment to green energy production; this has been mirrored in the coalition with the increase in the target for renewable energy.

One of the key Liberal Democrat beliefs is the commitment to civil liberties; in the coalition we are removing the measures that have infringed civil liberties for the previous thirteen years. We will abolish identity cards along with the database and biometric passports. We will abolish unnecessary laws which are cluttering our statute books. Under the coalition, children will no longer be forced to give finger prints at school without permission. We will also extend the freedom of information act to allow greater transparency of government.

I could go on with the compensation for Equitable Life victims, giving voices to patients in the NHS and increase the role of doctors. The Liberal Democrats have had their policies implemented for the first time in the party's history, fulfilling our manifesto pledges. This has only been possible through the coalition, allowing us to build a fairer Britain.