Clegg ready for 'every outcome'

He branded Ministers "desperate" for encouraging his supporters to vote tactically in marginal seats being fought over by Labour and the Conservatives as he warned it was too late for the two other parties to "put the genie back in the bottle".

In an interview with the Yorkshire Post he also ridiculed the round-the-clock tours being launched by David Cameron and Gordon Brown as they speak to fishermen, bakers and other people working through the night, saying: "I simply can't imagine anything more ghastly than being woken up at 3 o'clock in the morning by David Cameron or Gordon Brown."

Less than three weeks since support for the Liberal Democrats began to surge after Mr Clegg's performance in the first televised leaders' debate, he is now facing the prospect of holding the balance of power in two days' time if opinion polls predicting a hung parliament are correct.

This evening he will end his exhausting campaign – which has seen him force Labour into third place in some opinion polls – with a rally in Sheffield, where he is defending his Hallam constituency and the party is trying to oust Labour from Sheffield Central.

Yesterday Mr Clegg insisted he was "full of beans" despite suffering from a bad back after playing with his children.

"I'm going to carry on campaigning as I have done in every part of the country," he said. "There's a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do something different, to say no to the old politics and bring about real change."

Although it took the televised debates to see support for Mr Clegg surge, he insists he always "knew at one point the dam would burst" because so many people have had their faith in politics damaged.

"I don't think we can ever again turn the clock back or put the genie back in the bottle," he

said, urging people to vote positively for change and accusing Labour Ministers of "scraping the barrel" by urging them to vote tactically.

And asked about his own plans for after the election, he said he was "ready for every outcome".

Everyone should sing out in praise of politics: Page 13.