Clegg defends the coalition's first 100 days
Sunday, 15 August 2010 12:10 PM
By politics.co.uk staff
Nick Clegg has offered a defence of the coalition government's first 100 days in power, as he starts an important week in government.
The deputy prime minister will be effectively running the country this week, as David Cameron retreats to his Chequers address and then on holiday in Cornwall.
Mr Clegg will participate in town hall events across the country, in a manner similar to Mr Cameron's PM Direct meetings.
There will also be a keynote speech on social mobility on Wednesday at which the deputy prime minister is expected to announce Alan Milburn's position as social mobility tsar.
"We will govern for the long term and we'll stick to our plan," Mr Clegg wrote in today's Observer.
He accepted that controversial and unpopular decisions were required in response to the budget deficit but insisted that without a plan to cut public spending the government would not be behaving responsibly.
"Reducing public spending has already led to some controversial decisions and, with the autumn spending review approaching, we are on the brink of many more," Mr Clegg admitted.
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