Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg left a gaping hole yesterday in his keynote plan to tackle the mental health crisis gripping millions of people across Britain.

Cuts-crazed Mr Clegg came under fire after he grandly declared: "It's time for us to bring mental health out of the shadows."

In a wide-ranging speech, he failed to mention the need to reverse crippling cuts in NHS mental health services imposed by the Con-Dem government.

He faced immediate criticism for ignoring the crucial need for much bigger spending as he launched the government's Mental Health Action Plan.

Mental health charity Mind chief executive Paul Farmer warmly welcomed Mr Clegg's commitment to give mental health equal priority with physical health.

But he warned that NHS mental health services were under "enormous pressure" following two successive years of budget cuts.

"The reality for many people with mental health problems right now is long waits for talking treatments, and long trips across the country to find a bed when they are in crisis.

"We are also seeing a concerning increase in suicides and a particularly alarming rise in suicides among people already in touch with mental health services."

Mr Farmer reminded the government that they must "ensure that adequate resources are available to make these bold aims a reality."

Official statistics from the Care Quality Commission revealed a huge drop in the number of mental health beds from 32,252 to 22,109 between 2003 and 2013 in England and Wales.

Labour shadow public health minister Luciana Berger welcomed Mr Clegg's pledge to address the challenge of mental health.

But she added: "Ministers can't wring their hands and pretend failings in mental healthcare have nothing to do with them.

"Since 2010 investment in mental health services has been cut and now even the survey that recorded how much was being spent has been scrapped.

"Less than half of people seeking help for anxiety or depression are receiving treatment because waiting times are so long," Ms Berger said.

In his speech to mental health experts, Mr Clegg said at least one in four people would experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives but society was still not comfortable talking about it.

"That pretty much means that behind every door in Britain, you'll find a family that includes or knows someone dealing with a mental health condition," he said.

"It's a dad who is off work with stress, a mum suffering panic attacks, a teenager with an eating disorder or a lonely grandfather coping with depression. It's a good friend who's feeling suicidal, a neighbour's son dealing with schizophrenia or a work colleague managing bipolar disorder.

"These are people's everyday lives. And, as a society, we need to accept that."

Mr Clegg paid tribute to all those who had stood up and spoken about their struggles with mental health, including celebrities such as Stephen Fry, Trisha Goddard, Ruby Wax and Frank Bruno.

In addition, everyday heroes such as Jonny Benjamin and Wayne Goodwin had talked about their experiences for the new Time to Change publicity campaign.