TIMES ONLINE: Nick Clegg has told The Times that the Liberal Democrats can supplant Labour and has stated that his ambition is to become prime minister.
He insists that the Liberal Democrats have become the leading progressive force at the ballot box. The latest Populus poll for The Times shows the party still in second place ahead of Labour with only eight days to go.
Mr Clegg believes that the May 6 vote is now a two-horse race between “two competing pitches for change” — the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. He says that Liberalism has replaced “Labour statism” as the driving argument of the Centre Left.
And whoever wins, he insists that the momentum for reform of the political system is unstoppable. “Reform is now unavoidable. You can’t duck it.”
In an interview yesterday, Mr Clegg insisted that he was not being arrogant or presumptuous about his chances, but he had set his sights high. In a febrile campaign that is changing by the day, he said that it was still possible that his party could poll more votes than either the Conservatives or Labour.
“I think the Lib Dems have a brilliant, brilliant team and I would love to see us in government and, of course, I want to be prime minister,” he said. He made plain during the lengthy interview that his bottom line in any negotiations with David Cameron in a hung Parliament would be electoral reform.
Although he ruled out dealing with Gordon Brown if Labour came third in the popular vote, he did not rule out working with Labour, saying that he would have a moral obligation to provide “good, stable government”. >>> Roland Watson and James Harding | Wednesday, April 28, 2010
