KENNEDY LAUNCHES GENERAL ELECTION PRE-MANIFESTO

Liberal Democrat Leader Charles Kennedy today launched the Liberal Democrat Pre-manifesto - the first important stage in the manifesto process, which will take the Party into the General Election.

Speaking at Liberal Democrat Headquarters in Cowley Street, Charles Kennedy said:

"This is an important document setting out the direction of Liberal Democrat thinking leading up to the General Election. It gives a clear insight into the policies we believe would improve the lives of everyone in Britain today.

"The values underpinning our agenda for Britain are freedom, fairness and trust.

"Freedom is about giving people the opportunity to make choices for themselves. Fairness is about equal access - a decent health service, a quality education. And trust is about telling the truth when it counts and trusting people to make decisions.

"These ideas are already working for us. We have tried and tested them. They worked for us to bring victory in the Brent East by election, and in Leicester South. They are working for us now in Hartlepool.

"As this Labour Government becomes more unpopular, increasingly the challengers are not the Conservatives. The challengers are the Liberal Democrats."

Mike Treleaven, Totnes Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson, said:

'This manifesto is excellent news for the people of the Totnes constituency. Our pensioners will benefit from the abolition of Council Tax, free personal care in care homes and the £25 increase for pensioners over 75. Our students will no longer have to pay tuition fees, Health and education provision of the highest quality will be provided locally and our streets will be safer with 10,000 extra bobbies on the beat.

This is a clear, costed and popular agenda for Britain which will put people first. It builds on our principles of freedom, fairness and trust and has had a massive appeal in South Brent and Leicester South where we gained impressive by-election victories.

The 'Top Ten' Liberal Democrat manifesto pledges are:

• Put patients first - Free doctors and nurses from Whitehall meddling
• Free personal care when you need it - No one forced to sell their home to pay for care
• No tuition fees, no top-up fees - University affordable for every student
• More investment in children's early years - Spend the £1 billion Child Trust Fund when it matters most
• 10,000 more police on the streets - Cutting crime and the fear of crime
• £25 more on the pension every week at 75 - A million pensioners off means testing
• Free off-peak local transport - for all pensioners and disabled people
• Axe the Council Tax - Local Income Tax is both fair and affordable
• We should not have gone to war in Iraq - It' time to restore trust in the Government
• Take the environment seriously - Cut pollution, cut congestion, boost renewable energy