Claim Lib Dems will be ‘tarred’ by coalition

Published on 19/01/2013 12:00

FORMER Liberal leader Lord Steel has warned the Lib Dems will be “tarred” by their support for Tory policies in the UK coalition.

He told an event at the National Library of Scotland there were parallels between the coalition and the 1977 Lib-Lab pact when he was leader and the party was blamed for keeping Labour in power.

He said: “The problem the Lib Dems have now is they will be looked on at the next election as the minority partner in this coalition 
government.

“My own view is they didn’t have much option, given the election result. But the purpose of the coalition was to secure financial recovery.

“The coalition has got involved in far too many other things and we will get tarred with policies which are those of David Cameron’s party and not ours.”