Clegg: Political pledges not guaranteed
Gary Gibbon
Political Editor
Liberal Democrat leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg tells Channel 4 News political parties will need to be upfront about the fact they cannot achieve all their aims in coalition government.
In an interview with Political Editor Gary Gibbon, Mr Clegg said that the increasing likelihood of coalition government meant parties could no longer guarantee implementing their manifesto in full.
However, he said there would still be policies the Liberal Democrats would “die in a ditch” for, for example describing cutting universal pensioner benefits to prevent millionaires like Sir Alan Sugar and Peter Stringfellow from getting free bus passes and TV licences.
“One way or another we’ll haveto bite the bullet. It can’t be right to ask ordinary people on low or middle incomes… to fund benefits for multimillionaires,” he said in the interview at the Liberal Democrat party conference.
He also said his party had been “ahead of the game” by putting the four policies they would really fight for on the front page of their manifesto – the pupil premium, the £10,000 tax free allowance, banking reform and political reform.
He said: “If we are moving, as I believe we are, into a much more fluid political environment where the kind of old pendulum swing from the red team to the blue team is going to be much more difficult to predict… I think all parties will need to be much more upfront with the British people on what is kind of ‘tablet of stone’ stuff and the others that will depend on circumstances.”
Centre ground
His comments came after he was forced to make a public apology for his party’s failure to honour their pledge not to raise tuition fees
Mr Clegg also told Channel 4 News that any change in attitude from the Conservative party would not affect the government as he would attempt to keep it anchored in the centre ground.
“That’s my role in the coalition government, to make sure we do what we’ve promised to do to the British people, to keep the coalition agreement anchored in the centre ground. If the Conservatives want to waver around, ask them about it, it’s not my responsibility. I’m the leader of another party.”
The Lib Dem leader also shrugged off his recent poor poll ratings, saying he would “not flinch” in the face of the difficult journey both the Lib Dems and the country are on, from austerity to – he hopes – prosperity.
