A Fresh Start for Britain

11.54.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 22nd Jul 2009

Stephen Robinson & Nick Clegg MP backed the best start for ALL children on a visit to Tanglewood nursery in Chelmsford

A fairer society that gives children the best start; creating green jobs; cleaning up politics. These are the top priorities for Chelmsford and Britain outlined today by Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg MP. Stephen Robinson, the Lib Dem working to be Chelmsford's next MP, commented, "When I took Nick to Tanglewood nursery in north Chelmsford last October, he made clear his commitment to giving ALL children the best start in life and we are underlining the importance of that today."

These priorities were set out in a document "A Fresh Start for Britain" that will go to the Liberal Democrat conference in September. See: http://freshstart.nickclegg.com Speaking at the launch, Nick Clegg called for greater honesty from the other two parties about the challenges facing Britain. He said:

"The economic crisis has put huge strain on public finances. This year's deficit is likely to be one of the highest in Europe. So it is impossible to be sure what the next government will and will not be able to afford.

"At a time like this, when the only thing that's certain is that money is tight, political parties have to make more difficult choices - where to cut, where to spend what little money there is. So it's even more important than ever that parties are straight about the values and principles that will guide them through those choices.

"Neither Labour nor the Conservatives are being straight. Labour refuses to admit that cuts are necessary… While the Conservatives want to cut immediately, right in the teeth of a recession, pretending that cuts won't hurt. Both are wrong.

"Discipline is going to be vital for the next government. So we are adopting two new rules that will govern our approach to tax and spend in our General Election manifesto, and in government.

"First: our tax rule. We are determined to offer substantial income tax cuts to people on low and middle incomes - but to ensure those are affordable we will make up for every penny of tax cuts by making taxes fairer and greener, making sure polluters and the very well off pay their fair share.

"Second: our spending rule. Any new spending will be paid for by a specific cut made elsewhere, to ensure it is deliverable even in these tough economic times.

Read the rest of Nick Clegg's speech: http://www.nickclegg.com/2009/07/fresh-start/