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Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has spelt out the four "tests" he will set for Labour and the Conservatives if they are to seek his party's support in a hung Parliament following the upcoming general election.
Mr Clegg declined to say whether his party would lean towards Labour or the Tories if neither party secured an overall majority in the poll expected on May 6.
But he told The Independent that he would talk to the party that won the "strongest mandate" and was keeping all options open - including a formal coalition with Lib Dem ministers in the Cabinet.
"If a party with no majority has the strongest mandate, we accept the principle that that party has the right to govern either on its own or to reach out to others," he said.
But he said "no deals" would be discussed with other parties before the votes are counted.
"We are not here to play games with other parties," he said. "We are here to secure a big mandate for the big changes we want in Britain. Once we know the lie of the land after the election, we have to work out the best way to do that."
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Mr Clegg also said that, to calm market nerves in the event of a hung Parliament, the Lib Dems would propose an immediate £10 billion repayment of national debt, financed from £15 billion of spending cuts to be outlined this month.
Speaking ahead of this weekend's Lib Dem spring conference in Birmingham, Mr Clegg was critical of the Tories for stoking fears that a hung Parliament might cause a run on sterling because of market uncertainty about the ability of a minority government to reduce Britain's record £178 billion deficit. He branded the Conservative warning as "an act of economic vandalism and a political protection racket".
He set out "four steps to fairness" that would be his initial negotiating demands for backing a minority government led by David Cameron or Gordon Brown.
They include reform of the tax system to lift four million people earning £10,000 a year or less out of income tax altogether, financed by higher taxes for the rich; a "pupil premium" to target extra education spending at the most disadvantaged children; a switch to a greener economy with less reliance on financial services and voting reform for Westminster elections.
