Under-fire Clegg intent on showing he’s man of steel

A SOLITARY chocolate digestive sits on the coffee table in Nick Clegg’s office – a sign, perhaps, of the age of austerity.

Despite his Liberal Democrat party suffering the embarrassment of trailing in sixth place in the Barnsley Central by-election a week ago, the Deputy Prime Minister is relaxed. After his offer of the biscuit is declined, he snaps it up himself and tucks in with relish, more eager to look ahead to the party’s spring conference this weekend than lingering on a post-mortem of last week.

“Look, it was a bad result, it’s absurd to claim anything else,” he admitted. “But if you look at what happened, the candidates that came third, fourth, fifth, sixth place, including the Conservative candidate, all shared literally a few hundred votes between them. Frankly, if you weren’t a Labour candidate you were left picking up the pieces.”

It is a fair point, except that the Lib Dems came second in the seat in the General Election and finishing behind the British National Party and an independent candidate is worse than even pessimists would have expected. With no Lib Dem councillors there and money tight, party activists quietly admit they did not put up much of a fight and Mr Clegg has no regrets.

“It was one of those by-elections which just wasn’t much of a contest. There was a low turnout, Labour got a thumping great majority and I just don’t think people should read too much into the results of one by-election in one constituency where we didn’t have any councillors, we didn’t have any presence on the road.”

“All parties choose to fight by-elections differently. I remember when Labour lost their deposit in Henley [in 2008]. I remember when Labour lost their deposit in Cheadle [in 2005]. This happens in by-elections sometimes, I don’t remember people after that saying ‘Is this the death knell for the Labour Party’?”

While much has been made of the need to steady the nerves of the party faithful, Mr Clegg claims most party activists “keep things in perspective” despite visible unease at some coalition policies – notably health reforms and tuition fees – among some MPs and grassroots members. Earlier this week former Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Phil – now Lord – Willis broke his silence by expressing grave fears over “ideologically” led cuts and reforms.

In Sheffield, where Labour politicians have made life as hostile as possible for the Hallam MP, the tone will be strikingly upbeat. The focus will be on Lib Dem achievements with delegates told to “hold their head up high” with what the party has brought to the coalition.

Every delegate will be given a John Prescott-style pledge card pointing to progress tackling the deficit, increasing the income tax threshold next month, increasing pensions, a £2.5bn increase in funding for deprived pupils and a £10bn bank levy. It aims to show that while the party may be “courting unpopularity” at times, there is “another side to the story” to sell to voters and assert the Lib Dems’ own identity.

“The party needs to know, yes, these are difficult times and I’m not hiding that, but these are times where we are, bit by bit, policy by policy, brick by brick, putting in place changes which will leave Britain a more fair and liberal place,” said Mr Clegg.

Last week, former leader Paddy Ashdown predicted it would be two years before the Lib Dems enjoy electoral benefits from decisions being made now. Mr Clegg refused to put a timetable on it but insisted he entered the coalition with his “eyes open” and knew sorting out the economy was “not going to be a walk in the park”.

Tomorrow, the party will begin its local election campaign with Lib Dem Ministers heading out across the city and activists knocking on hundreds of doors. Despite the tough times and the blow in Barnsley, the party will be “throwing it all, life and soul” into the campaign, he said. But electoral reality means it may not be enough for them to keep control of Sheffield, where the party – with 41 of the 84 seats – is already short of an outright majority and only has one more seat than Labour. Hull, where the Lib Dems have a majority of five, will also come under threat.

Asked whether the public mood meant May was likely to be a tough time for the party, Mr Clegg said: “Yes, though I don’t think you should underestimate how smart the British people are.

“Of course I understand people will not like this decision or that decision, will not like that saving or that cut, of course I do. That’s perfectly understandable.

“But I really do try to get out and about quite a lot and of course people express anxiety, quite rightly – this is an anxious time, totally natural – but actually everybody kind of accepts that together we need to do this and it’s a difficult but necessary thing to do.”

In the current climate, he is relying on time being a healer. “There’s no one in Great Britain who would like more than me that this could somehow be an overnight painless job – a lot of people are hurling sticks and stones at the Government, and me, and so on – but it’s not,” he said. “It is a long hard road. I’m absolutely sure that when people see we’ve taken the right judgements – I hope – they’ll see we did it for the right reasons.”

Scathing of Labour, Mr Clegg contrasts Lib Dem-run Sheffield council, where libraries and swimming pools have been saved and job cuts kept to 270 next year, to Labour-run Manchester, where 2,000 posts will go. He repeats David Cameron’s claims – rejected as “offensive” by Labour leader Ed Miliband – that “some councils might be trying to make these really nasty cuts to blame it all on government. That’s not good enough”.

But Mr Clegg’s strongest criticism is saved for Labour politicians in Sheffield, who have accused him of failing to stand up for the city and made life hostile for him. “I think they are so infantile,” he said. “It’s the worst kind of bullying, carping, sneering, infantile politics, straight out of the playground. They’ve got no ideas themselves, no answers, no apologies, no responsibility.”

He angrily rejects their claims he has been absent from the city – saying he is “assiduously keeping up” with constituency duties – and contradicts the picture painted by Labour that he is persona non grata.

“It simply doesn’t feel like it when I’m in Sheffield,” he said. “Sure there are people – of course there are people – who are unhappy about this decision or that decision. I don’t hide away, that’s why I had a public meeting in the centre of Sheffield the other day.”