As the the Tory-Lib Dem Coalition reached 100 days in power, Mr Hughes said his party should be able to tell the Conservatives: ''No, we can't go down this road.'' He also indicated that a partnership between the Lib Dems and Labour was still possible, as early as the next general election.Mr Hughes told the BBC: ''If the coalition wants to deliver (parliamentary) votes, neither party on its own has a majority, so we have to make sure everyone is brought into that. As matter of practical politics... the parliamentary party on behalf of the wider party on big issues has to be able to say, 'No, we can't go down this road'.'' He added that a coalition between Labour and his party was still ''on the agenda'', perhaps by the time of the next general election in 2015.
Mary, Mungo and Midge is on holiday
Mr Hughes' comments come amid falling poll ratings for the Lib Dems and concern among rank-and-file members over some of the policies being pursued by the coalition. Last weekend the MP, who is not a government minister, ruled out any pact with the Conservatives at the next general election. Mr Hughes rejected suggestions that they could agree not to run candidates against each other in seats which were clearly winnable for one or other of the parties.
Jack Straw, the former justice secretary, said he was "relieved" when Labour and the Lib Dems failed to reach a coalition deal after the June election, arguing it would have been "inherently unsatisfactory". In a separate BBC interview, he said the arithmetic of their respective seats meant a Lab-Lib coalition would have resulted in "scrubbing around for votes each time there was a critical division and that would have made for a hand-to-mouth existence".
Meanwhile, the Trades Union Congress (TUC), which represents 6.5 million workers, has marked the coalition's 100 days in office by calling on the government to reconsider its planned cuts to public services and focus instead on other ways to reduce the deficit. Brendan Barber, the TUC general secretary said: "There is an alternative with policies designed to promote growth and to close the deficit with taxes that target those who did so well out of the boom years and have already escaped the recession. Before the election we were told that cuts could be achieved through efficiency savings, that the most vulnerable would be protected and front-line services preserved. These pledges have not lasted 100 days." He said the Government's strategy was "slamming on the economic brakes" and meant there was a "growing risk of a double-dip recession".
