There is a "long, hard road ahead" for the British economy, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is set to admit as he closes the Liberal Democrat conference.
The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) decision to downgrade the UK's growth forecasts has heightened fears of a double dip recession and Mr Clegg will acknowledge the recovery is "fragile".
But he will reaffirm his commitment to tackling the deficit, despite critics warning that the Government's cuts programme risks choking off growth.
In his keynote speech, Mr Clegg will say: "Right now, our biggest concern is of course the economy. The recovery is fragile. Every worker, every family knows that there is a long, hard road ahead.
"But we're not in politics just to repair the damage done by Labour, to glue back the pieces of the old economy. We need to build a new economy. A new economy for the whole nation."
In an acknowledgement that the Government's austerity measures are not "easy", Mr Clegg will tell the gathering in Birmingham: "For liberals, the litmus test is always the national interest. Not doing the easy thing. Doing the right thing."
He will tell the party faithful that fairness remains what he "cares most about" and pledge to fight for it despite backing the Conservatives' drastic cuts.
Mr Clegg will say: "People keep telling me that it's too hard. That it's futile to push for fairness into the headwinds of an economic downturn, or that it will just take too long and I should find some politically convenient 'quick wins' instead. I've also encountered fierce resistance from those who do so well out of the status quo.
"But for liberals the only struggles worth having are the uphill ones. Allowing schools to put poorer children at the front of the queue for admissions, making universities open their doors to everyone, making firms work harder to get women on their boards, breaking open internships."
Mr Clegg will also use his speech to launch a strongly-worded attack on Labour over the party's reliance on trade union funding - and also criticise the Tories over party funding.
There is a "long, hard road ahead" for the British economy, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is set to admit as he closes the Liberal Democrat conference.
The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) decision to downgrade the UK's growth forecasts has heightened fears of a double dip recession and Mr Clegg will acknowledge the recovery is "fragile".
But he will reaffirm his commitment to tackling the deficit, despite critics warning that the Government's cuts programme risks choking off growth.
In his keynote speech, Mr Clegg will say: "Right now, our biggest concern is of course the economy. The recovery is fragile. Every worker, every family knows that there is a long, hard road ahead.
"But we're not in politics just to repair the damage done by Labour, to glue back the pieces of the old economy. We need to build a new economy. A new economy for the whole nation."
In an acknowledgement that the Government's austerity measures are not "easy", Mr Clegg will tell the gathering in Birmingham: "For liberals, the litmus test is always the national interest. Not doing the easy thing. Doing the right thing."
He will tell the party faithful that fairness remains what he "cares most about" and pledge to fight for it despite backing the Conservatives' drastic cuts.
Mr Clegg will say: "People keep telling me that it's too hard. That it's futile to push for fairness into the headwinds of an economic downturn, or that it will just take too long and I should find some politically convenient 'quick wins' instead. I've also encountered fierce resistance from those who do so well out of the status quo.
"But for liberals the only struggles worth having are the uphill ones. Allowing schools to put poorer children at the front of the queue for admissions, making universities open their doors to everyone, making firms work harder to get women on their boards, breaking open internships."
Mr Clegg will also use his speech to launch a strongly-worded attack on Labour over the party's reliance on trade union funding - and also criticise the Tories over party funding.