Dispatches: A Year Inside Number 10 - Monday 9th May at 8pm

6th May 2011

In May 2010 David Cameron and Nick Clegg stood in the Rose Garden of No.10 Downing Street and announced they were forming the first coalition since the National Government during World War II. Most of the press was on side, the public wished them well, and MPs of both parties were supportive - at least in public. One year on, presenter Andrew Rawnsley interviews the key politicians, their friends and foes to chronicle the trials and tribulations of the coalition.   

For the first time on television, ten Cabinet ministers including Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg talk about how the coalition works, how compromises are reached and how they get on both personally and politically.  

The local elections and referendum on May 5th deliver the voter’s first judgment on the Cameron/Clegg partnership - and a pointer to each of their political fates.   Rawnsley reveals how Lib-Dem and Conservative Ministers reached compromises on student tuition fees and the pace and depth of the cuts.   

The programme explores the ongoing arguments about the NHS reforms and the direction of foreign policy in the wake of uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East.  Who are the peacemakers and who are the political winners and losers and where are the cracks emerging after 12 months in office?  Rawnsley also examines how Cameron has reorganised his Downing Street office in the wake of the Coulson scandal to avoid any further PR headaches, navigating through a steady drip of stories about health service cuts, announcements about privatising our forests and scraping school sports programmes.    

Commissioning Editor:  Dorothy Byrne

Executive Producer: Anne Lapping

Director: Mick Gold

Producer: Sally Brindle