Nick Clegg defends five-year fixed-term parliaments

Deputy PM says five-year terms would give governments four years 'to get on and do difficult things'

Nick Clegg has defended plans for fixed-term five-year parliaments, saying a four-year parliament would not give an administration time to govern in the national interest.

Giving evidence to the Lords constitution committee, he said governments tended to be "hamstrung and paralysed" for at least a year before a general election, so a five-year term would allow four years to "get on and do difficult things".

Clegg said: "It's a combination of providing a length of time with which people are familiar and which allows governments at least maybe four of those five years ... to get on with governing properly for the benefit of the country, combined with taking away from the executive this ability to capriciously time the election for nothing more than political self-interest."

Source: Guardian Unlimited (Wed 13/10/2010)