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Sir Menzies vows to remain leader Rich done 'too well' - Lib Dems
(about 3 hours later)
Sir Menzies Campbell has said he has no intention of stepping down as leader of the Liberal Democrats, amid criticism of the party's performance this year. The rich have done "too well" under Labour, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell has said.
He told the BBC's The Politics Show: "I'll lead the party through this parliament, through the general election and into the next parliament." He told BBC One's The Andrew Marr show his tax policies would help 90% of the population and the gap between rich and poor had become "too great".
His words came as a senior Lib Dem peer accused the party of lacking energy. The comments come after senior Lib Dem Lord Rodgers said some party members were "disappointed" with their leader.
Lord Rodgers said the party's annual conference, which starts on Sunday, could be crucial for Sir Menzies. But ahead of the Lib Dem annual conference in Brighton on Sunday, Sir Menzies said he will stay on as boss.
'Difficult task' "I've made it perfectly clear... that I will lead the party into the next general election and into the next parliament," he said.
Lord Rodgers, a former Lib Dem leader of the Lords, told the BBC programme: "I think he's a very able man and an intelligent man and he's very good on foreign affairs, and I always want to listen to him and I respect what he's going to say. We are going for these people who have done the best of all out of the last 10 years Sir Menzies Campbell
He added that he was ready to fight an election, challenging Prime Minister Gordon Brown to "bring it on".
Of Labour's time in power, Sir Menzies said: "The people at the top have done very well. In fact, they've done too well.
"The division between rich and poor has become too great and it's time for it to be redressed."
Sir Menzies said his party's policy of replacing council tax with a local income tax would only leave those households earning more that £70,000 a year paying more.
'No mandate'
He criticised Gordon Brown's decision to abolish the lowest, 10p in the pound, rate of income tax in his last Budget as chancellor earlier this year.
This would leave households earning £18,500 a year, which did not receive tax credits, worse off, he added.
He said: "We are going for these people who have done the best of all out of the last 10 years."
Sir Menzies reiterated his party's policy to reduce the basic rate of income tax by 4p in the pound, saying this could be funded by increases in environmental taxes and changes to capital gains tax and tax relief on investments and pensions.
Vote on EU, say Lib Dems
He also said a Lib Dem government would offer a referendum on whether the UK stays in the European Union, rather than the vote demanded by Tories and trade unions on whether the country signs up to the EU treaty.
Sir Menzies has been Lib Dem leader since early 2006.
Earlier, Lord Rodgers told the BBC: "I think he's a very able man and an intelligent man and he's very good on foreign affairs, and I always want to listen to him and I respect what he's going to say.
"But he's had a very difficult task and some people are disappointed."But he's had a very difficult task and some people are disappointed.
"There is a feeling that there's a lack of energy and an absence of direction, so I very much hope the conference will be different and change the mood really," he added. "There is a feeling that there's a lack of energy and an absence of direction, so I very much hope the conference will be different and change the mood really."
He said it was easy to say the party was more of a think-tank than a political party, but it needed to get to the issues that matter to people. But Sir Menzies said the Lib Dems under him had "maintained a distinctive position in British politics". He added: "The great divisions are no longer between left and right but between liberal and authoritarian." The Lib Dem conference runs until Thursday.
However, he said he would not back any attempt to oust Sir Menzies.
'Party united'
Sir Menzies told the programme he would not be stepping down, adding: "I think our party alone has got the policies which are necessary to deal with the issues of climate change".
But, on arrival at the conference in Brighton, he dodged questions from journalists about his leadership, with his aides saying he would deal with internal party issues "head on".
Liberal Democrat president Simon Hughes said the party was "united" despite low poll ratings and doubts over Sir Menzies' position.
One poll of 130 Liberal Democrat constituency association chairmen found that nearly a third were not convinced Sir Menzies was doing well.
Of the 90 who responded to BBC Radio 4's World This Weekend, 61 said they were satisfied he was leading them in the right direction, 15 were unsure and nine did not support him. The remainder refused to answer.
The Politics Show is on BBC1 on Sunday at midday. The latest programme can viewed on its website