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Nick Clegg on the end of vocal heckling in Kingston

The Liberal Democrats leader was speaking in Kingston in support of candidate Ed Davey

Jamie Campbell
Monday 06 April 2015 16:50 BST
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Lib Dem activists were let down when Nick Clegg dropped the tuition fees pledge (PA)
Lib Dem activists were let down when Nick Clegg dropped the tuition fees pledge (PA) (PA)

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Nick Clegg has endured his fair share of public outrage over his party's U-turn on student fees - and the Lib Dem leader is getting used to the barrage of abuse judgin by the way he ploughed on with a speech during which he was incessantly heckled by protestors.

At an event in Kingston in support of Liberal Democrat Candidate Ed Davey, a group of fired up hecklers approached, one armed with a microphone, and began chanting “Nick Clegg lied to me,” to which the recurrent response was “Well done Nick.”

The protester, reportedly from the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition, has been named as Richard Donnelly.

He was interviewed by online video news website On Demand News at the scene and said: “We’re saying that we’re tired of it [austerity] and we’re going to organise an alternative.

“If that means chasing Nick Clegg around town all day then that’s what we’re going to happen.”

The man did however admit that without the Liberal Democrat Party the Conservative government would not have survived: “They’ve propped it up for them,” he said.

Some of the chants focused on the Liberal Democrats stance on university tuition fees before the 2010 election.

Clegg promised that his party would discard tuition fees completely, only for the coalition Government to raise fees from £3000 to £9000 later that year.

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