Nick Clegg 's election campaign went from the sublime to the ridiculous today , as he travelled from a meeting with the Queen to a hedgehog sanctuary in Solihull . The Lib Dem leader was introduced to Humpty , a hedgehog with a head injury which means he keeps walking round in circles . Mr Clegg was told the animals have a lifespan of just five years , which he might be able to relate to as his party face the prospect of being booted out of government for the first time since 2010 . Scroll down for video . Nick Clegg and Lib Dem candidate Lorely Burt were introduced to Humpty , a hedgehog with a head injury which means he keeps walking round in circles . Mr Clegg donned his wellies for a yomp around Parkridge Centre , part of the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust in Solihull . The election campaign officially got underway when David Cameron to tell the Queen that Parliament has been dissolved . Mr Clegg then made his own trip to the Palace for a separate private audience - as Lord President of the Privy Council he has an obligation to do so . He then headed to the Midlands for what was billed as a campaign visit on the NHS , in a seat the Lib Dems are fighting to hold . But he donned his wellies for a yomp around Parkridge Centre , part of the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust in Solihull . Humpty the hedgehog got his name after falling off a wall and suffering head injuries . Mr Clegg , who last week revealed his dream to make wildlife documentaries , spoke to children about a new scheme to protect hedgehogs . They were introduced to Humpty , a hedgehog with a head injury which means he keeps walking round in circles . Mr Clegg insisted that his 'plucky party ' can defy the polls and declared the era of single-party politics is over . Later he insisted that his 'plucky party ' can defy the polls and declared the era of single-party politics is over . The Lib Dem leader said that in the '50 or 60 ' seats where his party had an MP or an effective presence on the ground they were doing far better than opinion polls suggested . On a visit to Solihull , a knife-edge marginal with a Lib Dem majority of just 175 , he said people would hear his party 's side of the story during the campaign . On a visit to the Brueton Park nature reserve in the constituency , the first stop of the campaign tour , Mr Clegg insisted his 'plucky party' could defy the polls . He said : 'What you have got to ask is how are we doing in those 50 , 60 seats where we have MPs , we have campaigners , we have councillors . 'There , the picture is completely different to the national snapshot polls because there people hear the LIberal Democrat side of the story - which is one we are very proud of - which is about a plucky party stepping up to the plate back in May 2010 when the country desperately needed it . ' Deputy PM Nick Clegg left Downing Street shortly after Mr Cameron before his own meeting with the Queen . The mud-soaked visit to the Midlands was a long way from his final visit to Buckingham Palace . Speaking before visiting the Queen this morning , Mr Clegg told reporters : 'It is my view that the era of single-party government is now over in British politics . ' He said the Tory/Lib Dem coalition formed in 2010 was a 'historic government ' which was formed at a time of 'national economic emergency' and had got the economy growing again . 'About the very last thing the country now needs is a lurch to the left or the right and yet that is exactly what the Conservative and Labour parties are now threatening , ' said the Liberal Democrat leader .
Nick Clegg leader starts the day meeting the Queen at Buckingham Palace . Later hits the campaign trail at a hedgehog sanctuary in Solihull . Lib Dem insists his 'plucky party ' can defy the polls on May 7 .