David Cameron is Britain’s new Prime Minister

Britain has a new Prime Minister. David Cameron. What was not clear after he was driven from Buckingham Palace to Downing Street at 8.45pm was exactly what the make-up of that government might be. He said he was hoping for a "proper and full coalition" with Nick Clegg's Lib Dems.

But after a day of negotiations, there were still no details available at 9.0pm of exactly how that coalition might work. There was much speculation - including the rumour that the Lib Dems might get six seats at the Cabinet table, with Clegg as deputy PM - but no facts.

If it can be agreed, it will be the first coalition government in Britain since World War Two.

Cameron's trip to see the Queen followed Gordon Brown's visit to the Palace to hand in his resignation, after an emotional speech in Downing Street, with his wife Sarah at his side, when he announced his decision to go.

It came at the end of an extraordinary day which began with many believing that the Lib Dems and Labour might reach agreement on a "progressive" coalition. It looked as if Brown, having announced his departure as Labour leader the previous day, might be replaced sooner rather than later, with Foreign secretary David Miliband and his brother Ed Miliband emerging as the likely contenders.

But by early afternoon, the talks between the Lib Dems and Labour had hit the rocks and Brown announced that he would be resigning as PM.

There were a number of factors against a Lib-Lab coalition deal, including the large number of Labour MPs who do not want to promise the Lib Dems electoral reform, and the unwillingness of Scottish Labour MPs to see the party do any sort of deal with their deadly rivals in the Scottish National Party.

But what the Mole was hearing all afternoon was that the main roadblock in the way of a pact with the Lib Dems was the simple truth which many in the party were now accepting - that Labour did not win a majority in last Thursday's election and that it was time they faced the fact and got out of Downing Street.

Andy Burnham, the Health Secretary, went public this evening on this point, telling the BBC that the Labour party "must respect the result of the general election".

Another factor - which the public doubtless will not hear a senior Labour politician say on the record - is just how tough the next government is going to have it. It will be bad enough trying to deal with the national deficit without having to do so in a rainbow coalition, with all the infighting that will entail.

Mervyn King's recently reported comment - that whoever rules next could become so unpopular that they will be out of government for a generation - is ringing in every MP's ear, whatever their party. In short, this wasn't such a bad election to lose.

The question that was still not answered by 9.0 pm tonight was whether the continuing coalition talks between the Tories and Lib Dems would bear fruit. The fact that even a good old Liberal like Simon Hughes was putting a positive spin on the Lib-Con talks suggests a deal was in the offing. "Better to be in government than not in government," said Hughes, when asked if he could stomach a deal with the Tories.

Clegg and his negotiating team were due to meet their parliamentary party and their national federal executive later tonight and it is thought that a Lib-Con deal could be voted on and pushed through before the day was out. ·