Apart from Nick Clegg, David Laws and Danny Alexander were the two most important Lib Dems in the first iteration of the Coalition. Laws as Chief Secretary to the Treasury ensured that the two sides were equally committed to deficit reduction, the main task for this government. While Alexander was responsible alongside Oliver Letwin for making sure that the Coalition agreed on its approach to every issue that came up. Their job was to preempt any dispute between the two parties. A look at the Cabinet Committee structure shows how crucial a figure Alexander was in his role as the minister providing ministerial support to the deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg. (His work as Scottish Secretary was far less relevant to the success of the Coalition).
It is hard to imagine that Alexander, who has no proper grounding in finance or economics, will be as competent a chief secretary as Laws was shaping up to be.
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