Nick Clegg has been put on a secret diet to lose weight before the election . Aides took to hiding biscuits from the Lib Dem leader to stop him putting on the pounds before polling day . The undercover calorie counters have had such success that he has been praised for his new svelte figure , although they admit they have no idea what he eats at home . Scroll down for video . Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has been praised in recent days for his slimmer figure , in contrast with his political paunch seen earlier in the Coalition ( right ) Mr Clegg is not the first politician to seek to get in shape as polling day approaches . But he could be the first who did not even know that the healthy regime had been imposed . He has previously tried to get in shape through exercise , with kickboxing lessons and playing tennis credited with helping with his squeezed middle . But officials in his Whitehall office grew alarmed at his appetite for biscuits during meetings . A source said : `` When you 're Deputy Prime Minister you get offered lots of cups of tea . Your access to biscuits is very generous . '' So aides imposed a ban on hobnobs , digestives and rich tea biscuits in his office , and claim it has had startling results . In an interview last week , his trimmer figure was remarked upon . London ’ s Evening Standard noted how Mr Clegg ‘ and lets his business suit flap open in the breeze , revealing a youthful figure with no sign of Whitehall sag ’ . It is understood that Mr Clegg now accepts the biscuit ban during working hours , but it is not clear if he sticks to the rules around the clock . ‘ There are no biscuits in the office , but who knows what he is having at home , ’ a source added . Biscuits have been banned from the Deputy Prime Minister 's office in Whitehall ( pictured ) to stop Mr Clegg piling on the pounds during meetings . DAVID CAMERON : Has given up bread , as part of his 'great patriotic struggle ' with his weight . GEORGE OSBORNE : Shed pounds on the 5:2 diet , where he fasts for two days every week . ERIC PICKLES : Once boasted that his secret to trying to lose weight was ‘ no cheese , no chips , no seconds ’ . NIGEL LAWSON : The former Chancellor , and father of TV cook NIgella , wrote his own weight loss guide - The Nigel Lawson Diet Book - which helped him to shed five stone in a year . LORD FALCONER : List five stone on an unconventional diet of apples and Diet Coke . A year ago Mr Clegg vowed to play tennis against anyone who would give him a game in a bid to get in shape . In 2013 he revealed he had taken up kickboxing at a local gym to ‘ get stuff out of my system ’ . And four years ago he had a rowing machine installed in his office , holding meetings while wearing shorts and T-shirt . A gruelling six-week election campaign gets underway on March 30 , when party leaders will be expected to look their best as they criss-cross the country while surviving on a diet of service station sandwiches . David Cameron has often spoken of his battle with his weight while in office . At one point it was claimed the Prime Minister was experimenting with alternatives to standard milk , such as almond milk , which is low in calories and fat . In January he revealed he had given up bread as part of his 'great patriotic struggle ' with his weight , which involves cutting out carbs and running every other day . He added wearily : ‘ I can ’ t get away with it because people can judge pretty clearly whether the pounds have come off or gone on . ' Chancellor George Osborne has shed several stone after sticking to the 5:2 diet , which means he has to fast twice a week . It has also been the diet of choice for the SNP ’ s Alex Salmond . Boris Johnson embarked on a New Year diet after tipping the scales at 16stone . ‘ I take on an almost unbelievable amount of exercise , but I have a bad habit of eating the children 's supper for breakfast , ' the London Mayor said .
Staff in Whitehall banned biscuits from the Osborne leader 's meetings . As Deputy PM he is offered a lot of tea and biscuits , sources say . He has come to accept the need to avoid sweet treats before the election . Clegg has previously used tennis , kickboxing and rowing to get in shape . Cameron , Lib Dem and Boris have all battled with their weight in office .