Leader's pension gaffe damages 'man of the people' speech

The shine could be taken off Nick Clegg's conference speech today by a blunder on pensions and his decision to cold-call 250,000 voters.

The Liberal Democrat leader was today seeking to portray himself as the champion of ordinary folk.

But he undermined this goal by getting the size of the state pension wrong during a TV interview yesterday.

Westminster School-educated Mr Clegg, who lives in a £1.3 million London home with his lawyer wife, said the pension was £30 a week when it is three times as much.

He swiftly owned up to the mistake in an attempt to limit the damage but it is likely to be exploited by the Conservatives and Labour.

This evening, Mr Clegg will contact 250,000 people, including Londoners, using an automated calling system to ask them about their views on Lib-Dem policy after his speech.

Party chiefs believe the market research tool, pioneered in election campaigns by US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, is a cost-effective and beneficial way of fine-tuning political messages.

However, the move opened up Mr Clegg to possible ridicule as happened when Gordon Brown called voters, sometimes early in the morning, who had written to him.

He could also rile some voters by disturbing them as they try to put their children to bed or sit down to watch a night of European football on television.