Nick Clegg: Lib Dems put party policies up front

DEPUTY Prime Minister Nick Clegg has promised to put the environment on the front page of his party’s manifesto but refused to “draw any red lines” in coalition negotiations with other parties.

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg and his wife Miriam visited Castlehill Primary School. Picture: SWNS

With the party preparing for the election in May 2015 and still hoping to hold the balance of power, Mr Clegg told a question and answer session with members at the Lib Dem conference in Glasgow that they should follow the same strategy as the 2010 election of putting their biggest policies up front.

He reminded them that in 2010 they had put raising the income tax threshold and constitutional reform on the front of their manifesto.

He said: “I think it is right that we should put the things we are most passionate about up front. Certainly the environment will be there next year either on the front or the front few pages.”

Responding to another questioner on whether it would be a red-line issue, he said: “I am not going to lay down any red-line issues now.” He added that the party could “not start coalition negotiations now”.

Mr Clegg also hit out at the Tories for proposing to scrap the Human Rights Act and turn the European Court of Human Rights into an “advisory body”.

Mr Clegg said: “It just perplexes me utterly when you hear people like [Tory Justice Secretary] Chris Grayling having a desperate, pathetic attempt to curry favour with Ukip, or at least scamper after Ukip, now saying they will chuck those great British principles of liberty over.”