Will Labour and Lib Dems join to thwart Cameron?

The Mole was thinking seriously of burrowing back underground to finish off his final bottle of Christmas Port such was the paucity of interesting news from Westminster when up popped a little item on page 154 or so of the Sunday Times that got him all excited again.

Lord Adonis - who as transport secretary is not a man we hear from much unless there's been a pile-up on the M25 or the price of commuter train tickets has sky-rocketed again - decided to tell the Murdoch paper that Nick Clegg, leader of the Lib Dems, is "very capable".

Adonis went on to say that there was "no ideological divide" between New Labour and the Lib Dems and suggested the two might forge a "progressive coalition".

For anyone doing a double-take (Is Nick Clegg very capable? Not seen much sign of that) this is what Adonis said in full: "Nick Clegg is a very capable leader and ideologically I am on broadly the same page as him, as I believe is Gordon Brown.

"I want to see a Labour majority after the election, but I also want to see us working as closely as possible with the Lib Dems on policies we share in common."

If Adonis had been really honest he might have rephrased that slightly, something along these lines: "I want to see Labour still in power after the election, so I suppose we'll have to work as closely as possible with the Lib Dems on policies we share in common."

The fact that Adonis is himself a former Lib Dem and protégé of Roy Jenkins has a bearing of course - he only joined Labour in 1995 - but more interesting is that he is the first reasonably senior Labour minister to put his head above the parapet in preparation for what could be the result of the upcoming general election, namely a coalition of Labour and the Lib Dems to keep Cameron out of power.

The opinion polls were all over the place in December, and may well continue to be so up until election week, whether it's early (March) or late (May or the first week of June).

If the polls showing a 12 per cent or above lead for the Conservatives are accurate, then David Cameron has no problem. If those suggesting nine per cent or under are nearer the mark, then a hung parliament remains a real possibility and Nick Clegg - whether he's capable or not - as the leader of a strong third party could have the power to determine the shape of the next government.

In 1940, Churchill entered Number Ten because Clement Atlee agreed to a coalition as long as Lord Halifax - the Tories' first choice - was not the leader.

In 2010, Nick Clegg could enjoy the sort of power Atlee had then: yes we'll team up, but we don't want Gordon Brown, we don't Want Ed Balls, we don't want - where will it stop? Certainly before Lord Adonis. ·