Polls swing: 'Desperate' leaders lashing out

Speaking at the launch in Cardiff of a 3.1bn plan to create thousands of "green" jobs, he said Labour and the Tories had been "lashing out" with "misleading" claims as his party's policies have come under intense scrutiny after his strong performance in last week's leaders' debate.

A YouGov poll for The Sun yesterday put the Lib Dems on 33 per cent (up three points since a similar survey published on Saturday), ahead of the Tories on 32 per cent (down one), with Labour trailing on 26 per cent (down two).

The swing to the Lib Dems has led to an increase in criticism of his policies but Mr Clegg told a Press conference in Cardiff: "That is what political parties have always done and no doubt always will do when they get desperate. They start lashing out with misleading claims about their opponents."

The surge in the polls would not necessarily translate into seats in Westminster, prompting Mr Clegg to describe the electoral system as "potty".

It was put to him that the better the Liberal Democrats did, the more the chance that Prime Minister Gordon Brown would be back in Downing Street after the General Election.

Mr Clegg said: "A vote for the Liberal Democrats is exactly what is says on the tin – it is a vote for the Liberal Democrats."