"The Liberal Democrats have helped to create more than a million jobs in the private sector - now we want to help create a million more. Manufacturing is absolutely crucial to that and UK manufacturing growth hitting a two-year high is fantastic news.
"These figures are welcome but there is a long way to go. For years Labour and Conservative governments let British manufacturing collapse, the Liberal Democrats are determined to rebuild it.
"That's why we are putting billions of pounds into high-tech manufacturing, science and renewable energy. And it's why we are massively increasing the number of apprenticeships to make sure employers get the skilled workers they need."
The government has announced an increase in capital spending plans by £3 billion a year, from 2015, which means an additional £18 billion of investment over the next parliament.
Government is taking a long-term approach to infrastructure, to overcome decades of short-term decision making and uncertainty in funding, financing and failures in delivery.
Plans include over £70 billion of investment in transport, over £20 billion in schools and £10 billion in science, housing and flood defences.
Specific commitments include funding for HS2, a new nationwide rail network that will put two-thirds of northern England within 2 hours of London.
Government will commit to the biggest programme of investment in roads since the 1970s. By 2020 to 2021 the government plans to triple the money spent on roads compared to 2013. This includes £6 billion to help local authorities repair the local road network.
Superfast broadband provision will be expanded so 95 per cent of UK premises will have access to superfast broadband by 2017.
Action is being taken to provide the support needed to enable up to £100 billion of private sector energy investment, including through the further roll-out and extension of the UK guarantees scheme.
The Chief Secretary also announced the government's plans to strengthen infrastructure project delivery through learning from successful approaches taken in the Olympics and elsewhere.
A full update of the National Infrastructure Plan will be published at the time of the Autumn Statement 2013.
In an email to Liberal Democrat party members, Danny Alexander said:
Working with Guildford, and Woking local parties
Up to £20,000, p.a. (pro rata 3 days/week)
This new post is principally to assist in building up our campaigning in the two constituencies with particular emphasis on target Borough Council seats in Woking for the elections in 2014, and for both constituencies building up for the local and General elections in 2015. The appointment will be made initially for a period of 12 months with the possibility of extension.
Today's [Wednesday] Spending Round delivers Liberal Democrat priorities on investment and improving our public services while making responsible choices to deal with the financial problems Labour left us.
Our number one priority in Government is to fix the economic mess we inherited from Labour. We will continue to be firm in our commitment to tackling the deficit, but fair in the way we go about it.
The Troubled Families programme works by assigning a dedicated worker to engage with a whole family on all of its problems, such as ensuring that the children attend school, appointments are met and appropriate services are accessed. Crucially, all of the public services involved with members of a family are coordinated and the demand on them reduced.
A one-off average investment of £4,500 in work with each family is expected to reduce the annual £15,000 cost of dealing with their problems, by supporting families to access work, reducing anti-social behaviour, poor school attendance and criminality.
There are still people who talk about the Liberal Democrats being in power as if it is a new and unusual phenomenon. That's remarkable enough when you think that we have been in Government in Westminster for three years, but it's even odder when you remember how Liberal Democrats have been in charge in Scotland, Wales and councils throughout the country long before 2010.
It is now less than two years until the General Election.
As we approach it, every Liberal Democrat will have to make a choice.
Do you look to the 7th May 2015 as our release date?
The moment that, in Westminster, our party can throw off this Coalition...
Returning to the safety and comfort of opposition?
Or do you look at 2015 - and every election before and beyond - as an opportunity: a chance to govern?
Our party is at a very real fork in the road - with very real consequences, depending on which way we turn.
One way embraces the future:
Where the Liberal Democrats seek to become a firm party of Government...
Striving to govern at every level in order to make Britain a better place.
The other clings to our past:
Limiting our ambitions and our prospects;
Consigning ourselves to be "the third party" forever;
Turning away from the millions of people we have promised to serve.
It is crucial that we take the right decisions, and we do so together.
And so today I am here to ask for your help.
Danny visited the Morrisons supermarket in Inverness, where newly qualified butcher David Webster and baker Stuart Crombie taught him the tricks of the trades.
Morrisons is currently one of the largest providers of apprenticeships in the UK. The store in Inverness, which has recently undergone a major refurbishment, employs more than 250 people and is keen to help staff develop their skills as part of their national apprenticeship programme.
The first phase of the campaign is a major apprenticeships drive. The party's ambition is to double the number of companies offering apprenticeships from 100,000 to 200,000.
Campaigning 'Action Days' will take place across the country tomorrow [Saturday], with MPs and local parties highlighting the work they and the party nationally are doing to help create jobs and apprenticeships in their local areas.
Commenting, Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg said:
Measures to enhance consumer rights and make them easier to understand, which will boost the economy by £4 billion over the next decade, have been unveiled today by Consumer Minister Jo Swinson.
The proposals, outlined in the draft Consumer Rights Bill, streamline overlapping and complicated areas from eight pieces of legislation into one consumer Bill. They also introduce new rights for consumers and businesses. Currently consumers spend more than 59 million hours a year dealing with goods and services problems. This deregulatory measure will reduce the effort consumers and businesses have to make to resolve problems.
Under the draft Bill consumers will have the right to:
