NICK CLEGG is facing the first revolt in his leadership of the Liberal Democrat party over plans to fund tax cuts by slashing public spending.

Clegg, who wants to ditch his party’s left-wing, tax-and-spend image, is facing a challenge at the party conference from MPs who say he has lurched to the right without consulting the party.

Senior party figures are concerned that he is trying to “mimic the Tories” at a time when they believe he should be targeting disaffected Labour voters and capitalising on Gordon Brown’s flagging position in the polls.

Tomorrow, the MPs Evan Harris and Paul Holmes will table an amendment to a conference motion challenging plans to redirect public spending into tax cuts.

It will say cutting taxes should be a lower priority than improving health, education and transport and tackling inequality.

Writing for the party journal Lib Dem Voice on the eve of the conference, which opened yesterday, Holmes, the member for Chesterfield, accused Clegg of orchestrating a “massive shift” in policy.

“Even the Conservatives until now have said that they would need some years in office before they could envisage tax cuts, which would otherwise be based on damaging public service cuts,” he wrote.

Harris, the Lib Dem science spokesman and MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, said: “It doesn’t make sense to try and occupy ground that even the Tories have shied away from.

“It is vital we maintain our position as a party of fair taxation, and not one of cutting taxes at the expense of schools and hospitals.”

Clegg plans to chop £20 billion from public spending, including scaling back child tax credits, to direct into other public spending priorities and lower taxes.

Danny Alexander, Clegg’s chief of staff, said: “This is an extremely important debate for the Liberal Democrats, which will be at the heart of our build-up to the next election.”

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