Clegg is ‘holding the country to ransom’

THE Conservatives accused Nick Clegg of trying to “hold the country to ransom” after the Liberal Democrat leader spelt out some of the conditions under which he would offer his party’s support in a hung parliament.

Clegg made clear that electoral reform would be an “absolute pre-condition” for his party, and indicated that he would not be willing to prop up Gordon Brown in power if Labour came third in the popular vote but won the most seats.

But there was doubt if the Conservatives would contemplate any post-election pact which involved ditching first-past-the-post for Westminster elections.

David Cameron said he wanted to keep the existing system but avoided explicitly ruling out voting reform.

But he made it more difficult for himself to strike an eventual deal with the Lib Dems by saying proportional representation would be “a big, big mistake for this country” and describing their policies as “away with the fairies”.

And the Tories launched an election broadcast warning a hung parliament would lead to back-room deals, indecision, weak government and a paralysed economy. To drive home the danger of a Labour/Lib Dem coalition, the film featured a yellow noose against a red background as the symbol of the “Hung Parliament Party”.

Meanwhile, Gordon Brown said it was “arrogant” for politicians to start discussing what deals they might cut before voters have even cast their ballots.

Labour’s election coordinator Douglas Alexander said Clegg had “over-reached himself” because he was “intoxicated” by the unaccustomed attention he has received in recent days.

With opinion polls indicating the general election remains a three-horse race, the issue of which party might secure Liberal Democrat support in the first hung parliament since 1974 is growing in prominence.

Clegg yesterday appeared to indicate he could support a Labour Party that had slumped to third in the share of the vote, but said it would be “inexplicable” to the electorate if Brown then remained premier.

Pressed on whether he could work with other Labour figures, like Alan Johnson or David Miliband, he said: “I will seek, with whomever else, to deliver those big changes that I want, in the way the economy is run, the way the tax system works, the way our education system works and, of course, cleaning up politics from top to toe.”

Cameron said proportional representation was a “great con” because it takes the power to choose the government away from voters and puts it in the hands of politicians.

While avoiding an explicit commitment to retaining first-past-the-post, he said: “I think it is a decisive way of changing our government... I do not want the electoral system changed.”

Clegg was “interested in one thing and that is changing our electoral system so that we have a permanent hung Parliament, we have a permanent coalition, we never have strong and decisive government,” he said.

“It’s now becoming clear he wants to hold the whole country to ransom... just to benefit the Liberal Democrats.”

Clegg said it was clear Cameron “wants to set his face against any serious change in our politics”.

“I believe in a new politics. He believes in an old politics. It’s a clear choice.”

Brown sought to turn the campaign focus on to Labour’s policies, with a speech to the Royal College of Nursing in Bournemouth in which he reiterated health guarantees and promised to protect nurses’ pensions, increase numbers of specialists and avoid an NHS pay freeze.

However, there were signs of disgruntlement among Labour rank-and-file about the conduct of their party’s campaign. Dari Taylor, of Stockton South, warned activists “feel excluded” by the focus on “flashy” leaders’ debates and said ministers should be spending more time talking to voters.

One-time rebel Fiona Mactaggart revived speculation about a post-election leadership change, describing Johnson as a “contender” for Brown’s job.

Meanwhile, Labour suspended its parliamentary candidate in South East Cambridgeshire, John Cowan, over allegations that he posted “unacceptable” messages online.

But Brown insisted that his focus on policy was paying dividends: “I think we have a newcomer today on the stage and it is policy.

“People are starting to look beyond the surface and they are seeing things that they don’t like about the Conservative policy. They are starting to see that they are a risk to the recovery.”