Prime Minister David Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg say Britain must stick to tough austerity measures, despite doubts across Europe over the best remedy for the continent's stalled economies.
Cameron's Conservative Party and Clegg's Liberal Democrats suffered heavy losses in local elections last week, as voters punished the coalition government over painful spending cuts and budget restraint.
The leaders were making a rare joint public appearance Tuesday in Essex, southern England.
Britain has announced spending cuts of around 104 billion pounds ($167-billion) through 2016.
Despite the presidential election in France of Socialist Francois Hollande, who vows to buck Europe's austerity trend, Cameron said Tuesday it is "more important than ever" to stick to his plan.
