Nick Clegg positioned the Liberal Democrats as the most redistributive party in British politics yesterday, saying that struggling families “need their money back” and ordering activists to prepare for government. In his first keynote speech to the party’s annual conference, the Liberal Democrat leader denounced Gordon Brown’s “zombie” Government for damaging Britain and warned voters “not to be fooled” by David Cameron, the “Andrex puppy of politics”. Echoing the words spoken in 1981 by David Steel, when he was Liberal leader, telling party members to “go back to your constituencies and prepare for government”, Mr Clegg said: “I can’t tell you every step on the road for us . . . I can tell you where we’re headed. Government.”

This week the Liberal Democrats became the first party explicitly to endorse a reduction in the size of the state, with delegates approving a drive to cut public spending by £20 billion, or approximately 3 per cent of Whitehall spending. About a quarter is expected to be handed back to low and middle-earners in tax cuts, on top of the 4p cut in income tax the Lib Dems have already promised.

Mr Clegg said: “The other parties say tax cuts aren’t possible. But that’s because they’re too flaky to take the tough choices . . . Too weak to trim back on wasteful spending. Too in hock to wealthy non-doms to threaten higher taxes for the rich.” Mr Clegg emphasised repeatedly the party’s fairness message, saying that Britain’s economic turbulence was caused by amoral, reckless City traders, fuelled by complacent politicians.

He called for a halt to “unjust” repossessions, independent monitoring of fiscal rules, and a clampdown on tax avoidance coupled with higher taxes for the rich.

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Mr Clegg singled out Vince Cable, seen widely as the star of the conference, saying that he had transformed from a Victor Meldrew predicting doom in the housing market to “twinkle-toed economic prophet”. Continuing the theme introduced by Mr Cable on Monday that Mr Brown is a “twitching corpse”, Mr Clegg said: “Labour offers nothing. They’re so desperate to protect their own jobs, they can’t be bothered to protect other people’s. They’re the living dead: no heart, no mind, no soul. Stumbling around with no idea what to do. They are a zombie Government.”

He sought to divide David Cameron from his party, suggesting that he was not a true representative of any future Conservative government. “Cameron’s hope is to become the Andrex puppy of British politics. A cuddly symbol, perhaps. But fundamentally irrelevant to the product he’s promoting.”

In a rallying cry, he said that the Lib Dems were the only option for those who believed in social justice.

“If you were drawn to Labour in the 1990s because you believed in a better future, because you were filled with hope that things would get better, join us. We are the ones who can make it happen.

“Labour is finished. It’s over. The Liberal Democrats are the only party that can deliver social justice. The only choice for anyone who wants a fairer Britain.”

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