Exclusive - How Nick Clegg prepares for PMQs

Nick Clegg was in Watford on Thursday to visit the West Herts FE college which has been turned from a failing institution to one officially regarded as excellent thanks to an inspirational new principal. While he was in Watford, he also met members and was asked what he really thought of Prime Minister's Questions.

As you know, some politicians love PMQs and others hate it. Paddy - never a lover of the Commons - didn't like it very much. Ming was famously taken to task by the media for a perceived poor performance and former Tory Leader William Hague really loved the event. So what did Nick think?

Well, he told members that he actually quite likes it. He said that there have been some performances which have been viewed as better than others but overall he thought he had done okay. He revealed that in order to prepare for the wave of barracking and noise that greets the Leader of the Lib Dems (and presumably the other leaders too) he had two of his members of staff stand right by him and yell loudly into his ears as he attempted to ask the question he was to put to Gordon Brown later that day. He said that once he could do that without stumbling, he was confident he could cope with the real thing.

Anyway, back to Watford and one of the unique factors of the West Herts College is that they have a decommissioned airliner fuselage in their grounds to help train cabin crew. Nick and Watford PPC Sal Brinton visited the fuselage to meet with trainee cabin crew and watch them demonstrating a safety announcement. Then Nick asked to see the cockpit before a Q and A with students in the rather more prosaic surroundings of a cafeteria.

Then it was off to meet members and open the new party HQ in the town.

Photos: Nick watches the cabin safety demonstration; Nick in the pilot's seat; Nick answers students' questions; Nick opening the new HQ