Vote Lib Dem to keep SNP hands off levers of power, says Clegg
NICK Clegg yesterday claimed he can ruin Alex Salmond’s dream of becoming Westminster’s ‘ kingmaker’ in the next Parliament.
With Labour keener to do a deal with the Lib Dems than the SNP and the Tories open to another coalition, the Deputy Prime Minister said ‘somebody is going to hold the balance of power’ after May’s election.
Launching his party’s manifesto, he said the choice is between him, ex-SNP leader Mr Salmond, who is plotting a return to Westminster, and Ukip leader Nigel Farage.
Mr Clegg also promised ‘home rule’ for Scotland by honouring the pre-referendum pledge to give more powers to Holyrood.
However, his manifesto launch was overshadowed by a devastating new poll which predicts his party could lose all its MPs in its South-West English heartlands. The survey suggested that 14 Lib Dem strongholds could fall to the Tories.
Mr Clegg was the third of the main UK leaders to unveil his manifesto and he argued that the Lib Dems would ‘add a heart to a Conservative government and a brain to a Labour one’. Voting for his party would also keep ‘dangerous’ Ukip and the SNP from wielding power.
He said: ‘The era of single-party government is over. I’m not denying that either David Cameron or Ed Miliband will be Prime Minister. One of them will, but neither of them will win outright. So what really matters is who they will have by their side. It could be Nigel Farage. It could be Alex Salmond. Or it could be me and the Liberal Democrats.’
The party’s manifesto has five policies on its front page, which Mr Clegg said were its top priorities in future coalition talks. These are:
Prosperity for all: The Lib Dems will eliminate the budget deficit ‘fairly’ by 201718 and invest in a ‘ high- skill, low carbon economy’. They will oppose Tory attempts to cut £12billion from welfare.
Cutting taxes for the low-paid: The taxfree personal allowance will increase to £12,500 by 2020, saving basic ratepayers £400 a year. Then the party will start to cut National Insurance for the low-paid.
Protecting the environment: The Lib Dems have ‘green laws’ to conserve nature; reduce waste, low- emission standards for vehicles; cutting emissions and better efficiency standards for buildings.
Health: Putting £8billion a year into the English NHS by 2020, resulting in extra cash for NHS Scotland through the Barnett Formula.
Education: Guaranteeing the entire education budget in line with inflation and rising pupil numbers in England. The manifesto also promises to deliver on the Smith Agreement proposals on further devolution, which include handing income tax controls to Holyrood.
It states: ‘ We now need to make sure all the new arrangements work together coherently and we will therefore establish a UK Constitutional Convention tasked with producing a full written constitution for the UK, to report within two years.’
But Mr Clegg was dealt a blow last night by the new opinion poll by Com Res for ITV News. In seats which his party holds, where the Conservatives are in second place, it showed a dramatic 13 per cent swing to David Cameron’s party.
The pollsters said it appeared Lib Dem support had ‘ evaporated’ in areas where it was strong in 2010.
Comment and John MacLeod – Page 14
‘It could be Salmond, Farage or me’