Theresa May can survive – by taking a lesson from the coalition handbook | Martin Kettle

The stability of the 2010-2015 government was ensured by collective leadership: the ‘quad’ of the four senior cabinet members. This prime minister needs her own

In a hung parliament, the art of political survival is to retain control of events and not to become their victim. This is far from easy. It is 24/7 political work, as Labour found between 1974 and 1979, a process brilliantly depicted in James Graham’s play This House. But Theresa May or her successor must master that art if the Tories are to prosper as a minority government.

May faces three acute problems in doing so. The first is the parliamentary arithmetic is against her. The second is that the Conservatives are a wide coalition of political views and interests, with many internal disagreements. The third is that May’s previous highly centralised and controlled style of government has been the antithesis of the nimble flexibility that the new situation requires.

Related: Election 2017: May appeals to MPs for support as her future hangs in balance

The quad was the regular meeting of David Cameron, George Osborne, Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander

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