NICK Clegg "isn't toast," his Liberal Democrat colleague and party deputy Sir Malcolm Bruce has insisted, saying British politics was in a volatile state at the present time.

The MP for Gordon said voters would in the next few months have to "think very hard" about what outcome they wanted on May 8.

"At the moment, people are in protest, they don't like the fact we've had a really hard economic time and, therefore, they are not prepared at the moment to reward the Coalition government. But when they consider what the alternatives are and what the outcome might be, they will firm up their support for the Coalition because they will recognise that it has brought about a recovery that the other parties could throw away," argued Sir Malcolm.

When it was pointed out that the Lib Dems were fourth in Scotland and fourth or sometimes fifth across the UK, the deputy leader insisted people should not prejudge the outcome of the election.

"There are people out there yet to make up their mind and when they reflect the positive things the Liberal Democrats have achieved on tax, pensions, the green agenda and schools, they will want to see more not fewer Liberal Democrats in the next parliament; that's what our campaign's going to be about."

When comments from Lib Dem backbencher John Pugh were mentioned - the Southport MP made clear that a section of the electorate was "just not listening to Nick" and other voices were needed to get the party's message across - Sir Malcolm insisted: "Nick Clegg isn't toast. What I do find frustrating is that parties do go through difficult situations.

"Nick Clegg hasn't been weak, hasn't been pathetic; he's been strong and resilient. He has taken the tough decisions in the national interest, which have delivered real results and liberal results, which would not have happened without the Liberal Democrats in government. We have made a positive difference and can make a positive difference again."