Nick Clegg has said the Lib Dems will be more "muscular" in the wake of last week's election defeats.
In a speech in Westminster this morning the deputy prime minister attempted to signal a new approach to the coalition as it enters its second year.
He said while the coalition would continue the two parties would "we stand together, but not so closely that we stand in each other's shadow".
"In terms of policy impact, we are punching well above our weight. A recent analysis by the BBC estimated that 75 per cent of our manifesto is being implemented through the coalition agreement, compared to 60 per cent of the Conservative manifesto," he said.
"We can also be more assertive about our different positions on certain issues, but without threatening the stability of the government.
"After all, nobody wants a return to the nightmarish coalition that existed between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown."
He added: "You will see a strong liberal identity in a strong coalition government. You might even call it muscular liberalism."
However, a ComRes survey for ITV News found that almost half (49 per cent) of voters think the coalition has been bad for Britain and more than half (53 per cent) think its record so far has been disappointing.
Only 24 per cent of those polled agreed that Clegg was a good leader for his party and one in three 33 per cent thought he should quit.
Labour leader Ed Miliband is likely to attack the coalition's record and highlight differences between the two parties during today's prime minister's questions.
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