Clegg promises change as Miliband urges Lib Dems to jump ship
By Ian Dunt
Nick Clegg has promised a bigger voice for the Liberal Democrats in government after Ed Miliband urged his ministers to quit government.
The demand comes in the wake of disastrous election results, which saw the Lib Dems punished in local councils and an overwhelming rejection of AV.
Mr Miliband, whose party performed well but not spectacularly in the English council elections, said it was time for Lib Dems to start reflecting the views of the people who voted for them.
“Do they want Tory policies or progressive ones?” he asked.
“If they are in favour of new politics they should start by keeping their promises and reflecting the will of those who put them into parliament.
“If they are not in favour of these Tory policies they should stand up for what they believe or leave the cabinet. They can come and work with us. My door is always open.”
Mr Miliband expressed sympathy with those Lib Dems – including former leader Paddy Ashdown and business secretary Vince Cable – who were incensed by the tactics employed by the Conservatives against them during the AV referendum campaign.
“The campaign on AV was a showcase for old politics at its very worst,” he said.
“Lib Dems have to work out which side they are on. Do they want to be on the Conservative side, backing the Conservative-led government, or on the progressive side? It really is time for them to make up their minds.”
Mr Clegg admitted on BBC1’s The Andrew Marr Show that substantial change was needed, following rejection in England, Scotland and Wales.
“I accept that there is real pressure on us to explain to our traditional voters why we are doing this and why it is good for the country,” he said.
“Of course there are lessons to be learned, and the lesson I have learned listening to people on the doorsteps is that people want a louder Liberal Democrat voice in government.”
The deputy prime minister seized on NHS reforms as an example of legislation where Lib Dem influence would result in concrete change.
“It is absolutely not just a pause for the sake of it,” he said of the bill, which is currently on stasis while the government undertakes a ‘listening exercise’.
“This is not a cosmetic exercise. There will be substantial, significant changes to the legislation.”
The Lib Dem leader has his sights on NHS reforms as the kind of totemic issue which he needs to show strength on to regain the trust of voters who supported his party at the general election.
He was also careful to reject the idea that he could take up the Tory whip at the next election to avoid the wrath of Lib Dem voters, saying he would “never, never, never” join the Conservative party.
“I will be carried out in my coffin as a card-carrying Liberal Democrat,” he said.
Meanwhile, the fallout from ‘super Thursday’ continued to rock domestic politics, with Scottish Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott quitting his post following the party’s “disastrous” results north of the border.
He refused to blame Mr Clegg for the party’s performance, saying he was “a very brave man and a very brave politician”.
Mr Scott is the second man to end his leadership in the wake of the Scottish result, after Labour leader Iain Gray also stepped down when the scale of the SNP victory became clear.
Finally, Labour easily held on to the Leicester South in a by-election which took place alongside the local council elections and the referendum.
