LIB-DEM leader Mr Clegg could not be drawn on whether Liverpool council should pay back nearly £12m given to fund its cruise liner stop-off terminal.
The council wants to turn the terminal into a “turn-around” facility where liners can start and end their journeys in the city, but Southampton, the biggest cruise liner port in the country, says public money should not be used to grow “private business” in competition with its own facility.
Mr Clegg said: “I can’t provide a running commentary on an ongoing argument between the two, but I know the strength of feeling locally about wanting to make sure it’s an embarking point, not just a stop-off point. I can see why Liverpool wants to do that.”
