Civil servants preparing for hung parliament

Senior Whitehall figures have met Liberal Democrat representatives in an attempt to thrash out manifestos ahead of a possible hung parliament.

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg agreed to meet with Whitehall chiefs to attempt to streamline party differences, in preparation for the possibility of the Lib Dems holding the balance of power after the next general election.

Mr Clegg’s involvement in these discussions is a move away from the position of previous Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy, who chose not to meet with civil servants, fearful of appearing to be preparing for government.

The practice of the opposition meeting with senior civil servants prior to a general election is standard. It is hoped that meetings between Whitehall and opposition parties will ease any transition of power.

However, historically, these meetings have only been attended by the Conservative party, with the Lib Dems remaining distant from the process.

Mr Clegg’s decision to engage with the process, prior to an election later this year or in 2010, marks a shift in party strategy and offers an indication of the Lib Dems' readiness for a possible hung parliament.

A spokeswoman for Mr Clegg said that his decision to meet with Whitehall staff was "a sign of Nick's confidence in Liberal Democrat policies.

"We are taking up the same offer as the Tories to speak to senior members of the civil service about our policies and Gordon Brown has agreed to this.

"We believe it is important that Liberal Democrat policies are subject to the scrutiny of the most expert Whitehall staff and we believe it is an important step in the run-up to the general election for us,” she added.

The meetings were attended by senior civil servants such as the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Gus O’ Donnell, the Number 10 permanent secretary, Jeremy Heywood, and the Queen’s private secretary, Chris Geidt.

This group, labelled the "golden triangle" by a senior Whitehall veteran, will consider how best to manage a hung parliament.

They will study the actions taken in 1974, when Harold Wilson was invited to lead a minority government after beating incumbent prime minister Ted Heath by four seats.

It is still unclear, however, which party Mr Clegg may choose to favour should he hold the balance of power after a tight election.

Mr Clegg has already ruled out accepting a cabinet seat under the leadership of Conservative leader David Cameron.

He has instead offered the possible future prime minister “supply and confidence,” allowing Mr Cameron to become PM but keeping a Liberal Democrat veto over bills passing through parliament.

It is also unlikely that Mr Clegg would choose to side with the Labour Party, running the risk of destroying the credibility of his leadership by assisting a party removed from power by the public vote.

Adding to the possibility of a hung parliament at the next general election, recent findings by website PoliticsHome.com point towards stronger support for the Liberal Democrats than recent opinion polls show.

The website, led by political journalist Andrew Rawnsley, which records the views of senior political figures and observers recognised as reliable predictors of political trends, reveals that 45 per cent of those asked believe that recent polls underestimate the support for the Lib Dems.

This figure dwarfs the six per cent who believe recent polls are overestimating Lib Dem support. 39 per cent of respondents believe polls match public opinion.

The findings challenge media assumptions that Lib Dem support has been squeezed by the popularity of David Cameron and the more recent "Brown bounce."

PoliticsHome.com also raises the possibility of a strengthening of Lib Dem support over the period of an election.

The findings raise the importance of the coverage the Lib Dems are legally obliged to receive by the mainstream media.