We will fight any attempt to weaken fundamental rights - Clegg

Today, Nick Clegg will respond to Queen's Speech for the Liberal Democrats in his first intervention in the House of Commons since the election.

Nick Clegg is expected to hit out at Conservative proposals on welfare, the Human Rights Act and Europe. The MP for Sheffield Hallam will say:

"The Liberal Democrats worked hard to ensure that the Coalition Government's agenda had a clear thread of liberalism running through it - from the priority we gave to mental health and the green agenda, to creating the pupil premium and protecting our civil liberties.

"So it is dispiriting - if pretty unsurprising - to see how quickly, instead of building on those achievements, the new Conservative Government is turning its back on that liberal stance.

"The human rights we hold dear, our right to privacy in an online age, our future as an open-minded, outward-looking country, are all hanging in the balance again because of the measures being announced by the Conservative Government."

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"My party's parliamentary presence may be reduced in size, but our mission is clearer than ever.

"As we did in the Coalition Government, we will fight any attempt to weaken the fundamental rights of our citizens.

"We will stand up for the poorest and the most vulnerable.

"And we will always defend a Britain that is at its best when it is open-hearted, open-minded and outward-looking."