The Conservative party won 306 seats while Labour and the Liberal Democrats got 258 and 57 seats respectively. This meant that the Liberal Democrats effectively became 'kingmakers', with the power to choose which rival to form a coalition with. Both Labour and the Conservatives attempted to woo the Lib Dems with various offers over the last few days, but in the end Gordon Brown resigned both as Prime Minster and as Labour leader, paving the way for the new government. Many have seen the Lib Dems as the real winners in this situation, given the fact that their leader Nick Clegg has been appointed Deputy Prime Minister and four others have received ministerial appointments. However, it remains to be seen how effectively David Cameron's Conservatives can work with their new partners.