New West Midlands Liberal Democrat MPs Welcomed to Parliament by Charles Kennedy

1.01.17pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 10th May 2005

Charles Kennedy yesterday welcomed his new Parliamentary Party to Westminster, and called on them to demonstrate that it is the Liberal Democrats who are best able to hold the Government to account and to offer an alternative vision for Britain. The new Liberal Democrat group will include Lorely Burt and John Hemming who have been elected to Parliament from Solihull and Birmingham Yardley respectively, and Paul Keetch who held the Hereford seat.

In a speech to his new colleagues, he also announced a major review of the Party's policies, and of the way Liberal Democrat policy is decided. He will said "This election has demonstrated that the Liberal Democrats are the real alternative to Labour in great swathes of the country and that we can win seats in urban, suburban and rural Britain. We have truly come of age as a party. We have firmly demonstrated that we now live in an era of three party politics. The Liberal Democrats have moved into second place in 187 seats, including 104 held by Labour. With the Conservatives now plunged into a prolonged period of internal debate and conflict, we have a golden opportunity to seize the initiative in the new Parliament. We must demonstrate that it is the Liberal Democrats who are best able to hold the Government to account and to offer an alternative vision for Britain."

Mr. Kennedy further said "Alone of the major parties, we offer all members a real chance to participate in the development of policy and allow our party conference to debate and determine policy to an extent unknown to Labour and the Conservatives. We should not discard this system. However, I believe that we need to look at policy development in a rather more flexible manner than we have in the past. We must reconsider whether it should be possible to commit the Party to specific and often controversial policies on the basis of a brief, desultory debate in a largely empty hall. It is with these considerations in mind that I have initiated a major policy review for the Party. We need now to re-examine our overall policy stance and then develop specific strands of policy in line with it. No area of policy will be more crucial over the course of this Parliament than taxation and that is why we have already announced a major review of our tax policy."

Mr. Kennedy concluded by saying "Our country is going through a period of social and economic change. All too often politicians are fighting yesterday's battles on the basis of an outdated view of how society operates. I shall look in particular to some of our newer and younger Parliamentary colleagues to ensure that we do not fall into that trap. My aim as Leader of the Liberal Democrats is to put the Party in a position to challenge for power at the next election. In an era of three party politics with no party able to claim to represent more than a minority of the electorate, we enter uncharted waters. But we do so in bullish mood. The political momentum is with the Liberal Democrats. Between us, we must now build on this momentum."