Nick Clegg on tuition fees, free schools and that IKEA cabinet

Nick Clegg has left the building. He hopes to be speaking in the UN General Assembly Friday afternoon, but he’s conscious that President Chavez and President Ahmadinejad speak before him and timetables can slip if they’re in chatty mode. Whatever happens the time zones won’t allow a live-link big screen moment to be televised into the Lib Dem Conference.
Before he left Liverpool, Nick Clegg was interviewed by Jon Snow – you can see the interview on tonight’s programme.

The DPM said the reason his party voted against the independent free schools policy of the coalition was because they  “misunderstand the details of the policy.” Faint echoes of Tony Blair there.

On the infamous IKEA cabinet fixing with David Cameron, Nick Clegg admitted he’d tried to pass on some tips to the prime minister, but said that Cameron was “building the cupboard very rapidly”

On the subject of university funding Nick Clegg said he “wants” to honour the NUS pledge that he and virtually all the other Lib Dem MPs signed ahead of the general election.

You get a flavour of what Nick Clegg is in for if he reneges on that pledge here.  Not the most polished campaign viral but you get the point.