THE TELEGRAPH: The Liberal Democrats have published their election manifesto with a promise to cut more than £10 billion a year from public spending.
Tax credits, winter fuel payments to pensioners, child trust funds would all be reduced under Liberal Democrat manifesto plans to cut the Government deficit.
ID cards, RAF fighter jets and surveillance systems used by MI5 would also be cut.
Nick Clegg said the party was being honest with voters about the need for savings to reduce the deficit, which reached £167 billion this year.
"We have to come clean with people. There is this big black hole in the public finances," Mr Clegg said.
Other parties were "kidding people" and "failing to show candour" about the need to make cuts, Mr Clegg said.
Vince Cable, the Lib Dem Treasury spokesman said the cuts would have to be even bigger than the £10 billion a year in the manifesto.
He said: "There is more to be done. I fully appreciate this isn't enough. We have to go beyond that."
The Lib Dems would also raise the starting threshold for income tax to £10,000, a tax cut for 3.6 million low earners.
That would cost £17 billion, money the party said it would find by cracking down on tax avoidance and by imposing higher taxes on airline flights.
The party also pledges to boost the pay of the lowest ranking members of the Armed Forces to bring them into line with the starting salary of their emergency services counterparts.
Under the manifesto commitments, prison inmates would be forced to work and contribute to a compensation fund for victims.
In his foreword to the document, party leader Nick Clegg said the Lib Dems will ''sort out our rotten political system once and for all'' if successful at the May 6 General Election. >>> James Kirkup, and Jon Swaine | Wednesday, April 14, 2010
