NICK Clegg says the Liberal Democrats have tamed the Conservatives and ensured the coalition is pursuing “fairer” policies – but is this really true?

To put the claim to the test, let’s imagine what might have happened if the General Election result had been different… George Osborne rose to deliver his landmark spending review knowing the speech he really wanted to deliver was safely under lock and key.

Before the General Election, the future Chancellor had drawn up a radical prospectus for transforming Britain that he knew would ignite controversy not seen since the days of Margaret Thatcher.

Schools, hospitals, local government, the level of public spending, taxes, the welfare system, the constitution... nothing would be left untouched.

But, as Mr Osborne cleared his throat at the despatch box, his grand plan was gathering dust elsewhere – a victim of the Conservatives’ failure to win a thumping majority on May 6. When the results came in, the Tories boasted just six seats more than all the other parties combined. It was a majority, but not one Mr Cameron could rely on.

Hasty rewrites followed. First to be dumped was a plan to save £1.8bn by slashing housing benefit and evicting claimants from wealthy parts of towns and cities.

Mr Osborne had imagined the combined outrage of Labour and the Liberal Democrats, next to each other on the Commons benches opposite, shuddered – and retreated.

He was most worried about the popular Lib Dem leader, who, as summer turned to autumn, was still basking in the “Cleggmania”

of the campaign trail.

“We will never get these housing benefit cuts through with our tiny majority,” the Chancellor muttered. “Clegg will condemn it as a rerun of the Highland Clearances.”

A proposal to strip incapacity benefit from many disabled people after 12 months was also dropped, and the Tories’ cherished plans for free market “free schools” were diluted.

Local councils would be allowed to block any proposal threatening existing state schools after three rebel Tory backbenchers backed a key amendment tabled by a Lib Dem backbencher.

Mr Osborne had planned to hike VAT to 20 per cent, but had to settle for 18.5 per cent after the success of the Lib Dems’ “VAT bombshell” campaign. Most frustratingly, the Chancellor’s secret plan to slash public spending by a breathtaking £81bn – far more savage than anything Lady Thatcher ever attempted – had to be ripped up.

In April, Mr Clegg had privately told astonished colleagues that – regardless of his campaign promises – he was ready to start the cuts immediately and cut much deeper.

But, back in Opposition and with a second poll likely within months, Mr Clegg was in no position to turn Lib Dem policy on its head – whatever his real views.

So, the cuts would be far slower after Labour and the Lib Dems jointly warned of a “double-dip” recession. Mr Clegg even predicted riots in Northern towns and cities without a rethink.

Leaving the Commons, knowing his moderate package would disappoint Tory backers in the City of London, Mr Osborne whispered to Mr Cameron: “Maybe we would have been better off in coalition? You could have given Clegg a top job?”

“Clegg would never have swallowed that lot,” laughed the Prime Minister. “Not even if I made him Deputy Prime Minister.”