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Clegg hits out at rivals' wooing I'm not a king-maker, says Clegg
(about 7 hours later)
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has warned Labour and the Conservatives that his party's supporters cannot be "bought off" by empty promises of change. Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has said he is not the "king-maker" who will decide whether Labour or the Tories rule in the event of a hung Parliament.
Writing in the Times, Mr Clegg said both parties were trying to "woo" Lib Dem voters by emphasising common ground between them ahead of the election. He told the BBC there would be no "backroom deals" ahead of the election even if it seems no single party was on course to win a Commons majority.
But he criticised his opponents' economic policies as "implausible" and urged action to make taxes fairer. Mr Clegg said politicians could not make such decisions "before people have their say" at the polls.
Pre-election skirmishes have begun with the poll due by June at the latest. Skirmishes between parties have begun with the election due by early June.
Hotting up Most commentators expect it to take place to be 6 May, with some pollsters suggesting neither Labour nor the Conservatives will win an overall parliamentary majority.
May 6 is seen to be the most likely date for the election. 'Marching orders'
Labour and the Tories engaged in a war of words about each others' tax and spending plans on Monday as each sought to seize the initiative after the Christmas break. If this happened it could give the Liberal Democrats a chance to take part in a coalition government.
In recent days, both prime minister Gordon Brown and Conservative leader David Cameron have highlighted areas of agreement between their parties and the Lib Dems, on issues ranging from constitutional reform to civil liberties.
FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programme
But Mr Clegg said the differences were "more striking than any synthetic similarities".
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think the idea of any party being in cahoots to the others is nonsense until the people have had their say...
"An election is about people giving politicians their marching orders, their instructions.
"What it shouldn't be about is politicians saying before people have had their say 'Oh, we are going to do, X, Y and Z regardless of how you vote'."
Mr Clegg said: "I want people to vote for us if they like what we say, if they agree with our principles."
'Clearest mandate'
He said "It's the people in charge. I'm not the king-maker. David Cameron's not the king-maker. Gordon Brown's not the king-maker. It's the people who are the king-makers."
Mr Clegg said: "If the British people don't give any party an absolute majority, an outright majority, then the party with the clearest mandate has the first right to seek to govern."
But he did not suggest whether this mandate applied to the party winning the most Commons seats or the most votes from the public.
Mr Clegg said that, whatever the outcome of the election, the Lib Dems would seek to deliver their "core priorities" of taxation reform, a "fair start" in life for children, creating a greener economy and "reinventing" politics.
On Monday, Labour and the Tories engaged in a war of words about each others' tax and spending plans.
Ministers said there was a £34bn hole in the Tories' budget calculations while claiming their opponents were in "disarray" over whether to introduce tax breaks for married couples as suggested in the past.Ministers said there was a £34bn hole in the Tories' budget calculations while claiming their opponents were in "disarray" over whether to introduce tax breaks for married couples as suggested in the past.
Brown and Cameron talk fine words about reform and fairness but their policies are not even close to what is needed Nick Clegg Forced onto the defensive after appearing to downgrade the earlier policy pledge, Mr Cameron said he would "definitely" seek to recognise marriage in the tax system and accused Labour of dishonesty over refusing to admit future spending cuts.
Forced onto the defensive after appearing to downgrade the earlier policy pledge, Tory leader David Cameron said he would "definitely" seek to recognise marriage in the tax system and accused Labour of dishonesty over refusing to admit future spending cuts.
In recent days, both prime minister Gordon Brown and Mr Cameron have highlighted areas of agreement between their parties and the Lib Dems, on issues ranging from constitutional reform to civil liberties.
With the polls suggesting a hung Parliament - in which no party has an outright majority - remains a possibility, Mr Clegg said the next election was likely to be most "open and unpredictable" in a generation.
'Not for sale'
But, in an article for the Times, Mr Clegg - who is giving a series of TV and radio interviews later - warns his opponents against seeking to cosy up to him in the hope of exerting influence after the election.
"Much of what we have heard so far is unsurprising - implausible pledges on spending, vitriolic attacks on cuts," Mr Clegg writes.
"But one development is new - both the old parties now claim to have much in common with the Liberal Democrats."
Neither Labour nor the Tories are prepared to back key Lib Dem policies, Mr Clegg says, such as radical reform of the tax system, breaking up the High Street banks and electoral reform.
He said his party's campaign message would be based around a short list of "big, structural changes that will make Britain fairer".
"My message to Gordon Brown and David Cameron is simple," he adds. "The Liberal Democrats are up for real change. We are not for sale.
"Brown and Cameron talk fine words about reform and fairness but their policies are not even close to what is needed."
On post-election scenarios, he says it is "self-evident the party with the strongest mandate will have a moral right to be the first to seek to govern on its own or, if they choose, seek alliances with other parties".