Cameron and Clegg defiant as they reaffirm commitment to coalition

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/may/08/cameron-clegg-coalition-cuts-commitment

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David Cameron has insisted that the coalition is "as important and necessary today as it was two year ago" as he and Nick Clegg launched a fightback in the wake of grim local election results for their respective parties.

The Conservative prime minister and his Lib Dem deputy made a joint appearance to reaffirm the need for the coalition relationship as they made clear they intend to stick with the "tough decisions" made to restore the country's public finances, "redouble efforts" to create growth and "get behind families that work hard and do the right thing".

Cameron said: "I believe the need for that coalition — two parties working together to solve the problems we have in our country - I think is as important and necessary today as it was two years ago."

The event in Essex follows several stinging criticism in the days since the disastrous council and mayoral elections, in which Labour won 830 council seats, mostly from the coalition partners, and took control of an additional 32 councils in England, Wales and Scotland.

Earlier in the day, Ed Miliband was the first of the three party leaders to turn up in Essex to criticise the government over its refusal to change course on the economy.

Speaking in Harlow, where Labour took control of the council in last week's local election, Miliband said: "The reality now for people aspiring to get on is that they feel they are running up against a brick wall in terms of unemployment and getting on the housing ladder."

He added: "I don't think Cameron gets it when he has a Queen's speech that will not change course on the economy."

But in the afternoon, the prime minister said the government had no intention of "letting up" on its deficit reduction programme to deal with the "country's overdraft", though he said he underlined this did not mean the government could not go for growth.

Speaking on the eve of the Queen's Speech, which will unveil bills described as "pro-growth and pro-business", Cameron said: "We need to think all the things we can do to get our economy growing. Whether that's encouraging the banks to lend more money, helping firms to start up, making it easier for companies to employ more people, investing in apprenticeships – we need to do all those things and frankly we need to redouble our efforts in doing all of those things. We have to rebalance our economy."

Cameron said the level of debt in households, banks and in the government had made recovery difficult.

He stressed the need to be very frank with people about the painstaking drive to boost growth: "It is tough, it is difficult, but ... let's build something really worthwhile, and yes it will take time, but it will be built to last, rather than as the last recovery was, built on sand."

Clegg echoed the sentiment as he insisted the government would constantly strive to do more to promote growth, as well as reducing debt, but warned that voters should not expect quick results.

There had been a "shocking great heart attack at the very centre of our British economy" and there was a six to seven-year plan in place to cure it — well beyond the next general election, he said.

"It is painstaking work recovering from that and it is not something we are going to achieve and so we need to bear in mind the enormity of the trauma we suffered."

He described the need to deal with debt so future generations did not have it hanging over them as a "moral duty", but went on to say that two main areas where more efforts were needed was the level of lending to small business and investment in infrastructure by both the public and private sectors.

"Dealing with the deficit is a means to an end," Clegg said.

"Austerity alone does not create growth. It is a necessary but not sufficient step. But what we are absolutely dedicated towards, is creating jobs, prosperity, investment, opportunity, optimism and hope in our country.

"We know we need to do more, constantly strive to do more, to create and foster the conditions for growth."

Cameron was under pressure from his own party to steer to the right following dismal local election results.