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As cabinet prepares to meet for the first time since the elections and referendum, PM admits ‘there will be more noise, more debate and more public airing of differences’ David Cameron has admitted that a change in the coalition relationship is “inevitable” following the tensions that surfaced in the run-up to the elections and AV referendum. But the prime minister stressed his commitment to the coalition as Conservative and Liberal Democrat ministers prepared to meet across the cabinet table for the first time since the Lib Dems suffered severe losses in local elections and saw voting reform decisively rejected by the public. The prime minister said in an interview with the Sun that he was still committed to a five-year term in coalition to deliver a “very strong” programme. Insisting the coalition government had “chalked up a lot of achievements”, Cameron said: “The challenge for the next period is going to be: how do you have two parties perhaps wanting to make their voices heard more clearly, but still achieve that coherence? I think the Lib Dem top team and the Conservative top team will still work together very well. But that is going to be the challenge.” He added: “There will be more noise, there will be more debate, there will be more public airing of differences. I think that is inevitable.” Cameron also denied Lib Dem claims that he betrayed the spirit of the coalition by allowing the No to AV campaign to attack Nick Clegg’s broken promises, though he admitted that he ended up playing a “greater part” than he had first anticipated when it became clear it was going to be a much more political campaign. The last cabinet meeting saw tense exchanges when the Liberal Democrat energy secretary, Chris Huhne, confronted David Cameron and George Osborne over No to AV campaign leaflets that he believed smeared Nick Clegg. The dire election results for the Liberal Democrats, in contrast to a stronger-than-expected performance for the Conservatives in the local elections alongside a resounding win for the retention of first past the post in the referendum, did little to improve relations. Vince Cable, the business secretary, accused the Conservatives in the wake of the results of being “ruthless, calculating and thoroughly tribal” and claimed that “some of us never had many illusions about the Conservatives”. Cameron insisted the no campaign had been cross-party, despite being funded almost exclusively by Tory party donors . Defending his role in the referendum campaign, Cameron told the Sun: “If I had gone in and told them, ‘you can do this and you can’t do that’, the whole thing would have broken up acrimoniously.” Asked if he had ever promised Clegg he would not campaign strongly against AV, Cameron said: “No”. He added: “I wanted Conservative party supporters, who at the start were a little uncertain about what they thought about AV, to be clear about what my view was. But the bosses — the British people — have made their decision and I think we should now move on.” Clegg has signalled his intent to demonstrate more Lib Dem muscle as deputy prime minister, notably the Conservative- led NHS reforms. Clegg has threatened to veto the reforms unless they are substantially improved as part of attempts to reassert his party’s independence after last week’s events. Liberal-Conservative coalition Conservatives Liberal Democrats David Cameron Nick Clegg Alternative vote Electoral reform AV referendum Elections 2011 Vince Cable Hélène Mulholland guardian.co.uk