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Conservative Party leader David Cameron is the new prime minister of the United Kingdom, it emerged after Cameron was received in audience by England's Queen Elizabeth II on May 11 2010, soon after Gordon Brown announced that he was resigning as prime minister and as leader of the Labour Party.
Brown, in a brief statement outside 10 Downing Street, said that he would advise the Queen to invite Tory leader David Cameron to form a government, while Brown said that his resignation as leader of the Labour Party would take effect immediately.
Brown was accompanied at the brief announcement by his wife and children. Taking no questions, Brown left immediately for Buckingham Palace to offer his resignation. In a statement, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Queen had accepted Brown's resignation as head of government.
Cameron, on his return from Buckingham Palace, said that his Conservative Party and Nick Clegg's Lib-Dems would form a "proper and full coalition".
Cameron paid tribute to Brown's "long record of dedicated public service".
The UK had a hung parliament and was facing deep and pressing problems, including a huge deficit and a political system in need in reform.
"A coalition will throw up all sorts of challenges" but he believed that the coalition could deliver on its priorities, as a "strong and stable government". He and Clegg had agreed to put aside their political differences in the national interest, he said.
Speaking on the morning of May 11, Cameron, as quoted by the BBC, said that his party had made a "very reasonable" offer to the Lib Dems and had put aside party interest in favour of the national interest - the Conservatives oppose changing the voting system.
Cameron said: "It's now, I believe, decision time, decision time for the Liberal Democrats and I hope they will make the right decision to give this country the strong, stable government that it badly needs and badly needs quickly."
The Conservatives won the most votes in the May 6 2010 election and won the most seats in parliament, but they did not win an overall majority. Talks between Labour and Clegg's Liberal Democrats broke down earlier on May 11.
A Tory-Lib Dem coalition sees the exit from power of the Labour Party after 13 years.
Brown said that he wished his successor as prime minister well. The BBC quoted friends of Brown as saying that he intended also resigning his seat as a member of the house of commons.
The new parliament will be summoned to meet on May 18, when the business will be the election of the speaker and the swearing-in of members.
The state opening of parliament and the Queen’s Speech will follow on May 25.