Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has defended the Liberal Democrat's record so far in government, ahead of local elections in May.

Speaking to James Naughtie, the Lib Dem leader said that policies led by his party - the pupil premium, earning link for pensions and increase in the level at which basic income tax starts would benefit many.

"Those are things which will outlast... the immediate but difficult and controversial job of dealing with the public finances," he said.

On the internal politics on his own party, he said that "one of the interesting things… is quite how resilient the Lib Dems have been".

Following his spring conference, he said, there was "almost entire unity in the party".

In a wide ranging interview, Mr Clegg commended the interim report from the Independent Banking Commission, saying the status quo is "untenable" and that "some kind of structural reform" would be necessary.

And on NHS reform, he said that there was no point in having a pause in the legislation unless you were prepared to make "substantive changes", but that it was not going to "re-open the Pandora's box of the basic design of a new system".

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