Liberal Democrat manifesto launch hit by power cut and mic glitches

Nick Clegg is promising to stop a coalition government 'lurching off to extremes'

Liberal Democrat party leader Nick Clegg unveils his party's manifesto in central London (Reuters)

This morning's launch of the Liberal Democrat election manifesto was hit by technical glitches which left Nick Clegg struggling to be seen or heard.

At one point the Mr Clegg’s presentation, at the arty testbed1 nightclub in Battersea, was plunged into darkness by a power cut.

The Liberal Democrat leader’s microphone also stopped working at one point, bemusing some onlookers and forcing him to adopt a back-up.

The party's leader pledged to “add a heart to a Conservative government and add a brain to a Labour one” and stressed its policies of increases in nursery funding, NHS funding, tax rises to reduce the budget deficit and increases in the personal tax-free allowance.

Mr Clegg, who made his pitch on the same morning as Ukip launched its manifesto, said it was vital that his party was part of the next government to “stop it lurching off to the extremes” of Conservative deficit reduction or Labour deficit reduction.

The party’s manifesto also includes a commitment to oppose airport expansion at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted or in Thames Estuary.

There is also a promise to begin a “review” of higher education funding in the next parliament – a markedly less radical policy than a 2010 pledge to end tuition fees.

This morning the Liberal Democrats confirmed they would enter into coalition with either Labour of the Conservatives in order to stay in power and implement their programme.

“It’s not a question of talking about one particular political party … we can’t rule in or out either Labour or the Conservative party. We have to be prepared, if there is a balanced parliament, to talk to either of them,” minister David Laws told ITV1’s Good Morning Britain programme.

Over at the Ukip launch later this morning Nigel Farage told his audience that Ukip were "the only party with the self-confidence and belief in this nation".

“Ordinary people have been left behind and they have simply got nobody to speak for them,” he told his audience at the Thurrock Hotel in his target seat.

Mr Farage's manifesto pledges a fast referendum on Britain's European Union membership, controls on immigration, recall powers for MPs, increased NHS spending and to take minimum wage earners out of tax.

Neither Labour nor the Tories have ruled out a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, who are expected to suffer a reduced vote share on 7 May but may retain a disproportionate number of seats.

Ukip are not expected to win more than a handful of seats according to opinion polling - though in a close race they could potentially have some influence.