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Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander has urged disgruntled Liberal Democrats to hold their nerve despite the damaging tuition fees row.
Mr Alexander said the "only way out" amid a sharp slump in support for the party was to press ahead with the "right" policies.
He also dismissed speculation over a leadership challenge to Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg after a third of his MPs rebelled over fees, insisting the coalition was "rock solid" and would last for a full five-year term.
Fears of an electoral backlash against the junior partner in government have been running high, and polls this weekend will do nothing to ease the concerns.
Research by YouGov for the Sunday Times put its support at just 9%. Meanwhile, separate Ipsos MORI polling for the News of the World found that 46% of those who previously voted for the party said they were less likely to do so again since Mr Clegg decided to renege on a pre-election pledge to oppose tuition fee rises.
In April two-thirds of the public rated Mr Clegg as trustworthy, leading to him being hailed as the most loved politician since Winston Churchill.
But now, after making compromises to join the coalition and become Deputy Prime Minister, his standings have been turned on their head.
Just a quarter of those questioned believed he could be trusted, compared to 61% who thought the opposite.
By contrast, the Tories have fared far better, with just a tenth of their voters saying they would be less likely to support the party in future.
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Meanwhile Labour leader Ed Miliband used an interview to try to capitalise on disaffection in the ranks, appealing for Lib Dem MPs to come and work with the Opposition.