Nick Clegg has denied the coalition Government is at breaking point despite saying Scots can’t trust the Conservatives.
Speaking before his speech at the Liberal Democrat party conference in Dundee yesterday, the Deputy Prime Minister also hit out at Prime Minister David Cameron’s withdrawal from talks on Lord Leveson’s press regulation report.
Mr Clegg visited Dundee College to be shown round the Gardyne Campus facility and meet students.
While there he defended the so-called ‘bedroom tax’ but admitted it hit Scots disproportionately particularly in rural areas and praised the party’s Scottish leader, North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie.
When asked by The Courier if the coalition was a breaking point following disagreements over Leveson, Mr Clegg said: “No, the Prime Minister and I made it very clear right from the outset with Lord Justice Leveson published his report this was something we could not agree on.
“In fact, we both gave separate statements to the House of Commons on the day the Leveson report was published.
“We were not bound by the coalition agreement to come to a Coalition Government decision, so in a sense it’s not new that we don’t agree on this.
“I’m surprised and disappointed that David Cameron turned his back on the cross-party talks because we were making good progress.”
However, he went on to attack the Conservatives in his speech at the West Park, saying: “People in Scotland know that the Conservatives cannot be trusted to deliver a fairer society.”
He also accused the party of trying to “abandon the rights of British citizens just to satisfy the right of the Conservative Party” over proposals to pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights.
When asked during the college visit about Scottish plans for how the Leveson report should be implemented, Mr Clegg said any decision would be for Holyrood to make but added his view was a UK-wide system should be put in place.
When quizzed on the bedroom tax, he said: “I totally recognise that this is obviously very controversial. There are some particular challenges in Scotland in large rural areas where there might not be properties available.”
Mr Clegg also he had “nothing but praise for Willie Rennie” and described him as “one of the smartest and most effective politicians in Scotland”.
He added: “I think he is a great combination of a really sharp brain, he’s a good Parliamentary performer but he’s also got no heirs and graces, totally approachable and is on the level.”
In his speech, Mr Clegg attacked Labour’s economic record and accused the SNP of not being honest with people about the implications of independence.
He tried to shrug off recent difficulties, including a poll published yesterday suggesting they would be left with just two MPs after the next general election.
He said: “Get back out there. Tell our side of the story. And we will win again. On the doorstep, in town halls, in Holyrood and in Westminster.
“The Liberal Democrats are winning again. And we will win again in Scotland too.”