'What is the point of Nick Clegg?' asks MP

Published by Ross Macmillan for 24dash.com in Central Government and also in Local Government

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was mocked in the Commons over his decision to go on holiday while David Cameron was on an official overseas trip.

Mr Clegg was forced to cut short a family skiing trip to the upmarket Swiss resort Davos to help tackle the crisis in Libya while the Prime Minister toured the Middle East.

He also came under fire after saying he "forgot" that he was running the country while Mr Cameron was away, prompting one Labour MP to ask: "What is the point of Nick Clegg?"

Mr Clegg said he had returned home from his holiday as soon as it became apparent he was needed and insisted that the Prime Minister had remained in charge of running the country throughout.

At Commons question time John Mann (Bassetlaw) said he was the "first Deputy Prime Minister in British history to fail to turn up to work when the Prime Minister's abroad for a week".

He added: "I think I am wanting to ask: what's the point of Nick Clegg?"

Mr Clegg complained about the "rehearsed" questions from Labour benches and told Mr Mann: "The Prime Minister was away on an official trip. Because he is away on an official trip does not mean that he is not the Prime Minister anymore.

"When a chief executive of a company goes on a business trip it still means that they are chief executive.

"When a manager of a football club goes on an away game they are still manager."

He added: "Last week I was away for just under two working days and I returned as soon as it was clear that I was needed back here."

Labour's Kelvin Hopkins (Luton N) said the situation suggested that Mr Cameron preferred to have Foreign Secretary William Hague in charge "rather than leaving the Deputy Prime Minister running the shop".

Mr Clegg told him: "In the end I spent I think just short of two days, working days, away last week and as soon as it was obvious that I was needed here I returned."

Last week when asked if he was in charge of the country by Metro, Mr Clegg was quoted as saying: "Yeah, I suppose I am. I forgot about that."

The comments were dismissed as a "throwaway" line by Mr Cameron but came amid intense criticism of the Government's response to the situation in Libya.

Facing Mr Clegg across the despatch box deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman said: "At least for today it has not slipped your mind that you are Deputy Prime Minister."

She challenged him about the Liberal Democrat manifesto pledge to increase the number of police officers.

Mr Clegg told her: "We have an unenviable task, which is a difficult one, in this Government to clear up the unholy mess left by you.

"I know you and your colleagues want to live in complete denial but because of the mistakes of the Labour government, because of its economic incompetence, we are spending £120 million every single day of every single week simply paying off the interest on your debts."

He added: "When there is no money left unfortunately we need to make savings across the public services."

Ms Harman hit back saying: "Isn't the problem not just that you are forgetting you are Deputy Prime Minister but you have forgotten every promise you ever made?

"Because of your complete betrayal on tuition fees, VAT, the NHS and on police there is a new word now in the English language.

"If you want to say that someone has been the victim of a total sell-out you say they've been Clegged.

"Are you proud of that?"

Mr Clegg said it was a "laboured question" and added that Ms Harman's party was committed to £14 billion of cuts.

"You complain about the difficult decisions we are having to take yet I haven't heard a single suggestion from your side of the House about what you and your colleagues would do to fill the enormous black hole in the public finances which you and your colleagues left to us to sort out."

There was a further dig at Mr Clegg's ski-ing trip from Ms Harman's husband Jack Dromey (Birmingham Erdington) who asked about the Lib Dem deputy leader of Birmingham City Council Paul Tilsley's attack on the Government's cuts.

Mr Dromey asked: "Is he too on a slippery slope?"