Clegg wishes to stay as Lib Dem leader
The leader of UK’s Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg has expressed his desire to stay on as the party head “in all circumstances” following the country’s May 7 general election.
The Liberal Democrat leader has had a difficult few years since taking office alongside PM David Cameron. The Deputy Prime Minister has suffered huge losses in the polls as his personal approval ratings have crumbled. Rumors are awash with candidates to replace him as the Lib Dems begin to look beyond the era of Clegg.
Nick Clegg’s cast iron guarantee on student fees during the 2010 general election campaign came back to haunt him. He promised Britain’s students that he would not raise tuition fees if he was in power. They trebled while he was in government.
Many Liberal Democrat insiders and grassroots activists believe the time will soon come for the party to look beyond Clegg and his inner entourage that includes Danny Alexander and Vince Cable. The Liberal Democrat president, Tim Farron, is a name regularly mentioned as a potential replacement, a mild mannered and self-deprecating character that has often criticized his party in government.
But Nick Clegg is desperate to focus on the remaining days of the election campaign, saying to voters that someone has to stand next to David Cameron or Ed Miliband as they walk into Downing Street. He wants to convince the voters that he has more credibility than any other potential kingmakers, particularly Nicola Sturgeon or Nigel Farage.
Clegg has insisted that he still has the desire to continue at the top of British politics. He said, “I have bags of energy and I am really optimistic about the prospect of the Liberal Democrats. Of course I want to continue to serve the country and serve my party which is why I am so proud to have served for seven or eight years now.”
But if the Liberal Democrats suffer heavy losses, the decision may be out of his hands.
LM/MTM/GHN
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