LIB DEMS IN GLASGOW: Leadership rejects suggestion of `lurch to the left'

Suggestions that the Liberal Democrats had lurched to the left of the political spectrum were yesterday rejected by Paddy Ashdown and senior colleagues.

Mr Ashdown said policies intended to achieve social justice - notably more money for education - were balanced by a commitment to an enterprise economy and tight fiscal control. "It is that mix which you cannot describe as Left or Right," he insisted.

The conference has been dogged all week by the issue of its positioning in relation to Labour and Mr Ashdown has worked hard to get over a distinct set of policies.

There was a misunderstanding of the nature of British politics, he said. "The fascinating thing today is that the big issues, the issues that divide other parties but unite ours, are not left or right." Europe, constitutional reform and the environment were not left-right issues.

"It would be trite to say not left, not right, but out in front, but I think there's a degree of accuracy about that."

In the final debate of the conference, Charles Kennedy dismissed talk of a "carefully calculated lurch to the left".

Commending a paper setting out policy priorities - education, constitutional reform and investment - he said the seriousness of the party's purpose was underlined by the way it had identified its aims and been upfront about costs. A stringent economic responsibility would be called for by the next government, and this would best be achieved by pursuing low inflation and low interest rates, limiting borrowing and encouraging competition.

Responsibility for monetary policy should fall to an independent UK Reserve Bank charged with an inflation ceiling of 3 per cent. Borrowing would have to be confined to the financing of capital projects and infrastructure renewal.

"These are hard-headed self-disciplines which will help make possible the specific social, industrial and economic pledges which we have made," Mr Kennedy said. "It would be crude, simplistic and wrong to try to characterise this approach as being on one fringe of the political spectrum. Instead it is well out in front of the conventional political approach."

Jim Wallace, Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said the state had to provide a supporting role, not an all-providing one. "Liberal Democrats want to foster the entrepreneurial spirit, whilst at the same time providing a safety net for those who need it most."