Nick Clegg has insisted there was "light at the end of the tunnel" for Britain after one of his closest allies sounded a dire warning over the dangers facing the economy.
The Deputy Prime Minister admitted the country faced a "long hard road" amid the eurozone crisis and stalling global growth.
But he sounded a distinctly more optimistic tone than Business Secretary Vince Cable - who highlighted on Monday night the risks of a new credit crunch or Japan-style lost decade of stagnation.
In a round of broadcast interviews at the Liberal Democrat conference in Birmingham, Mr Clegg said Mr Cable had been "telling it as he sees it, which is that this is a very uncertain time economically".
"My own view is that we can and will get through this and there is of course light at the end of the tunnel," he said.
"But it is a long hard road to get there, because we have this great heart attack at the core of our economy in 2008 and it is still sending out aftershocks."
The party leader stressed that Britain's fate was closely tied to the fortunes of the EU, saying: "I think it is very difficult to stare into a crystal ball and be certain about the future."
Mr Clegg robustly defended the coalition's deficit reduction measures, but said ministers had to be more "articulate" about actions they were taking to stimulate growth.
"We need people to feel more confident and confidence is something which you can recognise when you see it but can disappear quite quickly," he said.
"That's why the Government is giving tax cuts to millions of people on low and middle incomes, that's why we are giving support to manufacturers."
Nick Clegg has insisted there was "light at the end of the tunnel" for Britain after one of his closest allies sounded a dire warning over the dangers facing the economy.
The Deputy Prime Minister admitted the country faced a "long hard road" amid the eurozone crisis and stalling global growth.
But he sounded a distinctly more optimistic tone than Business Secretary Vince Cable - who highlighted on Monday night the risks of a new credit crunch or Japan-style lost decade of stagnation.
In a round of broadcast interviews at the Liberal Democrat conference in Birmingham, Mr Clegg said Mr Cable had been "telling it as he sees it, which is that this is a very uncertain time economically".
"My own view is that we can and will get through this and there is of course light at the end of the tunnel," he said.
"But it is a long hard road to get there, because we have this great heart attack at the core of our economy in 2008 and it is still sending out aftershocks."
The party leader stressed that Britain's fate was closely tied to the fortunes of the EU, saying: "I think it is very difficult to stare into a crystal ball and be certain about the future."
Mr Clegg robustly defended the coalition's deficit reduction measures, but said ministers had to be more "articulate" about actions they were taking to stimulate growth.
"We need people to feel more confident and confidence is something which you can recognise when you see it but can disappear quite quickly," he said.
"That's why the Government is giving tax cuts to millions of people on low and middle incomes, that's why we are giving support to manufacturers."