London Evening Standard/London
Nick Clegg yesterday accused his Tory coalition partners of “squandering taxpayers’ money on waste and vanity projects”.
The Liberal Democrat leader’s onslaught came during a speech in Cornwall marking the launch of his party’s local election campaign.
“Next month, in wards across the country, people will be confronted with the same choice,” said Deputy Prime Minister Clegg.
“Despite all their stated differences, a vote for Labour or the Tories will be a vote for the same thing. Their record in local government shows that, even when millions of families are feeling the pinch, they’ll both squander taxpayers’ money on waste, inefficiency and their own vanity projects.”
The broadside is likely to be the first move aimed at distancing the LibDems from their coalition partners, with the Tories likely to follow suit when they launch their campaign next week.
Clegg also highlighted his party’s by-election victory in Eastleigh, where it beat the Tories and UKIP despite LibDem incumbent Chris Huhne being jailed.
Labour, meanwhile, at its campaign launch in Ipswich, promised new rules to stop payday loan firms “damaging” small high street shops.
Party leader Ed Miliband claimed the growing number of such loan firms, along with bookmakers, are transforming high streets and putting people off going shopping.
“One of the fastest-growing businesses on the high street are the payday lenders, sometimes charging extortionate rates of interest,” he said. “In hard times, it is no wonder people turn to them. But often they just engulf people in debts that they cannot pay. Interest rates of over 1,000%.
“Too many councils are finding that they don’t have the real power to stand up for local people.”