Charles Kennedy will launch the Liberal Democrats' election campaign with a 2,000 mile, three-day flying tour of Britain.

The tour will start in Norfolk tomorrow where Kennedy will meet a recently-recruited former Tory MEP before continuing on to Bristol, London, Southampton, Plymouth, Cardiff, Nottingham, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow and Inverness.

Kennedy said that he wanted his party to fight a positive, constructive campaign that looked to the future.

The Liberal Democrats last night announced that they were on the brink of a historic general election result and said that the Tories were heading for meltdown.