David Cameron: Ministers in vicious in-fighting urged to 'get on with the job'

David Cameron put aside bitter in-fighting in the coalition today and urged ministers to "get on with the job".

The Prime Minister made his appeal direct to ministers at this morning's weekly Cabinet, the first since last week's divisive elections and the AV referendum.

Sources said the mood was "somewhere in between" friendly and businesslike. There were no repeats of Chris Huhne's bitter criticism of Tory conduct in the No campaign, nor was the NHS Bill dispute aired, they said. An audit of the coalition record was given by Oliver Letwin, who said 66 per cent of its plans for the first year had been completed, 31 per cent were in progress and only three per cent overdue.

Mr Cameron stressed that the Coalition had proved to be a strong government and had a solid record of achievement and momentum on its side. In a message to his own backbenchers and ministers tonight, Nick Clegg will urge them to "finish the job" of the coalition agreement - but also to communicate to voters in "a louder Liberal Democrat voice" to help rebuild the party's distinctive identity.

Today's meeting came after the worst period of open warfare over policies yet, with senior Lib-Dems determined to score a public victory over the Conservatives by severely watering down Andrew Lansley's plans for NHS reforms.

Mr Cameron was said by sources to have talked ministers through the importance of the Government's plans for the year ahead. He said voters would see the coalition, after a year in power, "getting on with the job".

He highlighted policies to deal with what he called "long-term problems that have dogged the country" including youth unemployment, which will be the keynote issue when the Prime Minister and the Deputy Premier make a joint appearance on Thursday, the anniversary of their first press conference in the rose garden at No 10.

Mr Clegg was heading for a post-elections meeting of his parliamentary party in the Commons this evening, with tempers running hot about the way Mr Cameron and other senior Conservatives behaved in the No to AV campaign. Allies told the Evening Standard he will say that there was no disguising "a disappointing set of results" in the town hall polls and that "we took a real knock".

Mr Clegg will say his party "should not try to hide that fact or make excuses". They should get on with the very difficult job they had started when the coalition was formed, "a job we've got to finish".

But telling them that they must learn their lessons, Mr Clegg will say that voters were clear at the ballot box that they want a louder Liberal Democrat voice in government.