Nick Clegg: I’m 48, I’ve got bags of energy, I’d like to carry on

The deputy prime minister and Liberal Democrat leader has been asked if he is preparing for a life outside politics if he loses his seat. Recent polling shows that he is behind Labour in the seat.

He said: “I’m not complacent. I’m confident I’ll be re-elected. I’m very confident that this cottage industry of pessimism about Liberal Democrat prospects is way overdone.

“We are going to confound our critics once again. We’ve done it many, many times before. I’m only 48, I’ve got bags of energy, I’d like to carry on.”

After David Cameron famously said his favourite political joke was “Nick Clegg”, the Lib Dem leader was asked if he had a favourite joke about the PM, but responded: “Probably not any I can share. I’ll leave that for the memoirs.”