John
05-23-2010, 04:47 PM
Mr Clegg spoke as the new Chancellor George Osborne put the finishing touches to plans to make £6bn in savings, with much of the cash used to start paying down Britain's record £156bn deficit.
Speaking on BBC 1's Andrew Marr Show, he said: "The age of plenty is over. I wish we had oceans of money but we don't. We shall make unpopular decisions, judge us after five years.
"We couldn't anticipate during the election campaign how hostile the financial environment in Europe would become and that's why we have to move faster than we expected.
"No-one went into politics to seek to deliver cuts but we all know as a country it is necessary. It is going to be painful and controversial."
He also accused the previous Labour government of promising money with little regard on how to come up with cash.
He said: "The outgoing Labour government were just throwing around money like there was no tomorrow, probably knowing they were going to lose the election, making extraordinary commitments left, right and centre, many of which they knew they couldn't honour."
There are reports that government plans will see £513m of savings made from a 'bonfire of the quangos' - with organisations like the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency set for the axe.
And Vince Cable's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills could be stripped of more than £900m, while a further £200m could come from university funding.
Cash will also be saved on government travel, recruitment, consultancy fees and the scrapping of big schemes like ID cards.
Individual projects to be hit could include an £8m refurbishment grant for the Blackpool Tower agreed in the final days of the Labour government.
Commenting on the planned cuts, Lord Digby Jones, former head of the CBI, said: "I don't understand why they have ringfenced overseas aid and NHS spending completely.
"Coalition is all about compromise and on that basis why not look again at how much waste and inefficiency could taken out of the NHS?"
Speaking on BBC 1's Andrew Marr Show, he said: "The age of plenty is over. I wish we had oceans of money but we don't. We shall make unpopular decisions, judge us after five years.
"We couldn't anticipate during the election campaign how hostile the financial environment in Europe would become and that's why we have to move faster than we expected.
"No-one went into politics to seek to deliver cuts but we all know as a country it is necessary. It is going to be painful and controversial."
He also accused the previous Labour government of promising money with little regard on how to come up with cash.
He said: "The outgoing Labour government were just throwing around money like there was no tomorrow, probably knowing they were going to lose the election, making extraordinary commitments left, right and centre, many of which they knew they couldn't honour."
There are reports that government plans will see £513m of savings made from a 'bonfire of the quangos' - with organisations like the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency set for the axe.
And Vince Cable's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills could be stripped of more than £900m, while a further £200m could come from university funding.
Cash will also be saved on government travel, recruitment, consultancy fees and the scrapping of big schemes like ID cards.
Individual projects to be hit could include an £8m refurbishment grant for the Blackpool Tower agreed in the final days of the Labour government.
Commenting on the planned cuts, Lord Digby Jones, former head of the CBI, said: "I don't understand why they have ringfenced overseas aid and NHS spending completely.
"Coalition is all about compromise and on that basis why not look again at how much waste and inefficiency could taken out of the NHS?"