Campbell takes message to members

Sir Menzies Campbell heads to the Liberal Democrat spring conference in Harrogate , preparing to tell members that the party must make "tough choices".

Having been elected as the party's new leader yesterday, he will immediately be thrust centre-stage at the event this weekend.

It will provide his first opportunity to spell out to activists what direction he intends to take the party in, having promised "modernisation" in his victory speech.

Senior party figures have already pledged their full support to the new leader after he was crowned with 57 per cent of the votes cast by members.

Ahead of the conference he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he is "a centre-left politician".

And he said he wanted to champion ideas and social justice.

"I want to approach this from the point of view of our party being a party of ideas, of people being open-minded," he said.

"It is absolutely important that we are willing to challenge orthodoxy, yes, and, if necessary, take some risks as well.

"But I have a real concern about poverty. I have a concern about the environment. I have a concern about individual freedom and personal liberty.

"I've got a concern about Britain's place in the world. These are all Liberal Democrat issues which I intend to pursue with vigour."

As the conference prepared to consider controversial policies on issues including Post Office reform, Sir Menzies acknowledged that he could not write party policy, which is decided by members.

But he signalled that he would give a strong lead.

"I am determined to energise this effort to examine policy," he said.

And he said debates on tax policy should not be based solely on whether or not to levy a 50 per cent rate on the highest earners, although he did not rule the idea out.

"You can't build a tax policy around one tax rate any more than you can build a defence policy around one weapon system," he told Today.

"If it is necessary in order to deal with socially desirable objectives like dealing with poverty then I am happy to defend 50p.

"But we should look at all alternatives before we come to that."

"I have no difficulty with the principle that those who have done best of all in Britain should pay a little bit more," he added.

"Why shouldn't High Court judges who earn £160,000 a year pay a little bit more than those who earn a lot less?"