Government’s cuts plans are right – Clegg

The deputy prime minister is expected to say the government will not change course on its cuts programme but to concede that it could do more to encourage growth.

He is also expected to defend the Liberal Democrats’ decision to form a government with the Conservatives, calling it the “right call”. It has also been reported that ministers are looking into how £5bn can be injected into the economy.

Mr Clegg will announce that £50m of pupil premium cash will be devoted to getting up to 100,000 pupils from deprived backgrounds on the two-week courses. He will highlight the plan as part of a personal “charge for social mobility” in a bid to reassure activists that Liberal Democrat values have survived joining the Tory-led government.

Closing an annual gathering punctuated by increasingly vocal attacks on coalition colleagues by senior figures, Mr Clegg will say he is battling “those who do so well out of the status quo”.

Former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown has spoken to Channel 4 News ahead of Nick Clegg‘s speech.

Theme of ‘fairness’

He said: “What I expect we will get from Nick is him to say we have to hold our course. There is no other option and if we don’t hold our course the harm to the country will be greater.

“We have got to stick with it – the last government left us in as bad a position as Greece. If we do not reduce this the consequences are that this country will be run by the bond markets rather than the elected government.

“We have to tackle the deficit and if there is money spare then we can focus on growth, finding jobs. But that’s only when plan A is done. There is no plan but plan A.”

He added that he doesn’t think the Lib Dems have been too feisty this week.

“We are in the coalition to do what is necessary to pull through the economic crisis but make sure that there are also the Liberal Democrat values of fairness.

“I think that’s what the conference has been about.”