Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg poured out buckets of hypocrisy in the Commons yesterday when angry Labour MPs accused him of shoring up the Tories' war on the poor.

The shameless Lib Dem leader pleaded that he did not support all the welfare cuts and professed disagreement with the Tory target of reducing immigration figures to tens of thousands.

But when Labour MPs demanded that he resign, he replied that he must stay in place to help "clear up the black hole in the public finances" left by the Labour government.

Veteran Labour MP David Winnick glared across at Mr Clegg and declared: "Since this government has been waging war on the poorest and most vulnerable in society, how much more is the Deputy Prime Minister willing to take?

"Is this what you came into politics for?" roared Mr Winnick.

Mr Clegg snapped back: "For an honourable member who has been here for so long, his questions are truly infantile."

Left MP Dennis Skinner taunted Mr Clegg about the meagre attendance on the government benches during his question time session and the fact that three Tory MPs had even failed to turn up to ask questions they had tabled.

"Why can't you read the signs?" asked Mr Skinner.

"The government is disintegrating before our eyes."

He urged Mr Clegg to "do the decent thing and pack it in and let's have an early election."

Mr Clegg retorted that far from the government disintegrating, "we have continued steadfastly to clear up the mess left by his party."

Tackled about Tory welfare cuts, he said the Lib Dems believed that the people with the broadest shoulders should make the biggest contribution, while his Tory coalition partners did not.

"That is a legitimate debate," he proclaimed earnestly.

Then he pleaded that the two parties were however in agreement that they must fill the financial black hole left by Labour.

Mr Clegg faced questions about sceptical comments on the government's immigration policies voiced by Lib Dem Business Secretary Vince Cable.

He said Mr Cable had been "entirely right" to point out that government ministers needed to admit there were factors in immigration which they could not control, such as the number of British citizens emigrating or returning.