Campbell told to look 'hyperactive' in case of snap autumn poll

The Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Menzies Campbell, has been told to make himself look "hyperactive" in the coming weeks in case there is a general election this autumn, a secret strategy memo leaked to The Independent on Sunday reveals.

The private memo for Sir Menzies and his senior lieutenants, written by Edward Davey MP, his chief of staff, advises him that he must not avoid confronting the issue of his age with voters and must stress his "experience" and his "judgement".

It outlines how Sir Menzies, 66, should approach this week's party conference, telling him it will be "less daunting" than in previous years. Amid rumblings about his performance as leader and questions about whether he looks too old to lead the party, the memo says the strategy of confronting his age head-on "finds favour". It adds "hyperactivity [is] needed" by all Lib Dem front-bench MPs in case of a general election.

Allies of Sir Menzies are anxious that the conference is not dogged by concerns over flagging polls and leadership "rumblings". Some MPs in marginal seats say activists are nervous that low opinion poll ratings could lose them their seats, but think there is no appetite to replace the leader before the general election. "There is some grumbling and worries. But not a central mass of disaffection," one MP said.

The memo confirms that the Lib Dems are working to a "snap general election plan", targeting seats held by old Etonian Tory MPs Sir Nicholas Soames and David Heathcote-Amory.

The party is also pouring money into the North Wiltshire seat of James Gray, the Tory MP who faced controversy locally after he had an affair while his wife was suffering from cancer.

The strategy memo, written this month, says that the party's election strategists think the "chances of an October general election are "more than 1 in 3". Marked "highly confidential", it says that the budgets, the election team and plans for headquarters for an October election are "all in place".

But it warns that the "main worry for campaigns is relative funding", that the party's manifesto needs work, and that there is "concern over Europe message".

"Main General Election Strategy tweak is to include a few more Tory marginal seats in target list. David Cameron's failings over spin, grammar schools... etc leave some seats more vulnerable than expected 6 months ago... CR [Lord Rennard, the party's election guru] cautious as usual, but key ones we should move up our Tory hitlist include: St Albans, Wells, North Wiltshire, Mid Sussex and Broadlands," it says.