The deputy prime minister told his weekly LBC radio phone-in that "what people have dubbed the snooper's charter" was "not going to happen".

BBC: A person using a computer

Mr Clegg told LBC similar changes for three- and four-year-olds under the previous Labour government had had "almost no effect" on childcare costs for parents.

BBC: Childcare ratio plans 'in chaos', says Labour

Mr Clegg, who was speaking on the first of his weekly radio phone-ins on LBC, said it was up to the UK to decide how it handles its relationship with Europe, but the Americans were entitled to express their views.

BBC: Nick Clegg: UK 'valuable' to US partly because of EU

During a phone-in on LBC Radio on Wednesday, Lib Dem leader and Deputy Prime Minister Mr Clegg admitted that concerns over Lord Rennard's behaviour had been "in the background" when he resigned, but added that he had heard no concrete allegations until last week.

BBC: Lord Rennard claims: Peer reprimanded over telephone call

"On all of these counts, delivering jobs, increasing the number of apprenticeships, delivering fairer taxes, lower council tax, fairer income tax and protecting green spaces I think everybody accepts in Eastleigh that it's the Liberal Democrats who've got the record of action, " he said during a phone-in on LBC.

BBC: Eastleigh by-election campaign in final stages

Speaking on his weekly phone-in on LBC's 97.3 FM, he said ministers could not "wave a magic wand" but they had taken "the most reasonable steps" possible at a time when there was little money around, continuing instability in the eurozone and the UK economy was still recovering from the legacy of the 2008 financial crisis.

BBC: UK Politics