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Westminster 'seen with disgust' Westminster 'seen with disgust'
(about 1 hour later)
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has pledged to clean up politics in the wake of the MP expenses scandal and concern over party donations.Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has pledged to clean up politics in the wake of the MP expenses scandal and concern over party donations.
He told the Scottish Lib Dem conference the Westminster parliament was looked on with "disgust", rather than pride.He told the Scottish Lib Dem conference the Westminster parliament was looked on with "disgust", rather than pride.
Mr Clegg also set out his vision for a "fairer" society, through tax reform and a better start for children.Mr Clegg also set out his vision for a "fairer" society, through tax reform and a better start for children.
And he attacked Gordon Brown for backing the Iraq War in his evidence to the Chilcot inquiry.And he attacked Gordon Brown for backing the Iraq War in his evidence to the Chilcot inquiry.
On expenses, Mr Clegg told delegates in Perth he wanted the public to be able to sack their MPs, and said he backed a directly-elected House of Lords.
And he dismissed Tory donor Lord Ashcroft as a "tax dodger".
We need a vibrant, competitive financial sector, but never again should the greed of the bankers in the City of London hold a gun to the head of the rest of the British economy Nick CleggLib Dem leader
The peer's "non dom" status has caused a political row, because it had been thought he had agreed to pay full UK tax in order to become a peer.
Mr Clegg also delayed the start of his keynote speech to react to Mr Brown's evidence to the Iraq inquiry.
The prime minister, who was chancellor at the time of the 2003 war, said he fully backed the action and insisted troops had all the equipment they needed.
Following Mr Brown's evidence, Mr Clegg asked how the prime minister could ever be trusted again.
Mr Clegg went on to outline four steps to a "fairer Britain" - fair taxes, a fair start for all children at school, a rebalanced green economy and "clean, open politics".
These included making first £10,000 of earnings tax-free, which would be paid for by closing tax loopholes exploited by the wealthy, spending more on schools and "breaking up the banks" to prevent another financial crisis.
Mr Clegg hit out at the "greed of the bankers" but also attacked the "failure of Gordon Brown to keep that greed in check".
Main challengers
He said he wanted to "change the fundamental assumptions by which both Conservative and Labour governments at Westminster have sought to run the British economy".
"Of course we need a vibrant, competitive financial sector, but never again should the greed of the bankers in the City of London hold a gun to the head of the rest of the British economy," said Mr Clegg.
"So I say an end to the banking of excess and greed - split up the banks. Split up Lloyds. Bring the Bank of Scotland back home."
The Liberal Democrats have declared themselves as the main challengers to Labour in Scotland in the forthcoming general election.The Liberal Democrats have declared themselves as the main challengers to Labour in Scotland in the forthcoming general election.
Amid talk of a possible hung parliament at Westminster, a senior Lib Dem all but ruled out a power-sharing deal with Gordon Brown in the event of a hung parliament at Westminster after the election.Amid talk of a possible hung parliament at Westminster, a senior Lib Dem all but ruled out a power-sharing deal with Gordon Brown in the event of a hung parliament at Westminster after the election.
In a BBC Scotland interview at the Perth conference, Liberal Democrat Scottish affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said he could not imagine the circumstances in which his party would prop up a minority Labour government.In a BBC Scotland interview at the Perth conference, Liberal Democrat Scottish affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said he could not imagine the circumstances in which his party would prop up a minority Labour government.