SHEFFIELD, England, March 12 (UPI) -- Deputy British Prime Minister Nick Clegg was greeted by a billboard calling him "Cleggzilla" as he opened the Liberal Democratic conference Friday in Sheffield.
The conference is being held under tight security, The Guardian reported. Police expected 5,000 to 10,000 protesters, some of them likely to be from within the party ranks.
The billboard warned that "Cleggzilla" will be "bringing havoc to a city near you" with spending cuts, The Sun said.
Clegg, who represents Sheffield Hallam in Parliament, told party activists that becoming a target is part of the price of power, the Guardian said.
"We've put down placards and taken up the reins of power," he said. "It's a big change, but it's worth it."
The party's poll numbers have dropped precipitously since it entered a coalition government last year with the Conservatives. In a recent by-election, the Liberal Democrat came in sixth, behind a local independent and most party nominees, in a district where it ran second in May 2010.
