Nick Clegg tells region Labour has failed them

Apr 11 2010 by Phil Doherty, Sunday Sun

LIBERAL Democrat leader Nick Clegg made a flying visit to the region yesterday to tell voters Labour had failed them.

Speaking at The Sage Gateshead in front of more than 100 people, Mr Clegg joked: “I’m under no illusions, you’re only here because you couldn’t get tickets to the (Newcastle United) game.”

But turning to more serious matters he vowed his party would help the North East secure a better future with its reformist and “fair” policies on tax, immigration and politics itself.

He said: “What is fair about a tax system under Gordon Brown where a banker pays less tax as a proportion of his salary than his cleaner pays on their wages?

“Labour have let you down, do not let Labour let you down a fourth time.

“If you are looking for a party that has fairness cruising through its veins then turn to the Liberal Democrats. We are the only party in British politics with a fair tax plan.

“Under our plan people would not pay tax on the first £10,000 of their wages and that means someone earning that amount would be £700 a year in pocket.”

He also said they would close all the tax loopholes that “only benefit the wealthy”.

In addition, he promised that a Lib Dem Government would reduce class sizes – unlike Labour, he said, which had made promises to do the same over the last decade but failed to follow through.

He promised to rein in the bankers and their bonuses and said the investment and high street banks would be split in two to dilute their power and to safeguard savers’ money.

Turning his fire to the electoral system and politics, Mr Clegg said it was wrong that Labour was in power after only securing one in four of the votes in the last general election.

He said that the Lib Dems would change the system to a proportional representation version instead of the present first-past-the-post model.

He said the other two main parties were fundamentally opposed to reform of Parliament, politics and MPs’ roles and salaries because of their vested interests in keeping the status quo.