After many strong years, the economy was suffering from the bursting of the credit bubble, with a large public-sector fiscal deficit. The campaign saw the first ever televised leaders' debates, in which Nick Clegg seemed to do very well.
The swing from Labour to Conservatives was about 5%, which was not enough for a Conservative majority. A number of seats were unexpectedly won by both Labour and Conservatives, though the Lib Dems suffered most from unpredictable results.