A Liberal Democrat Britain

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 23rd Sep 2005

Liberal Democrat representatives from Rutland and Melton were in Blackpool yesterday to hear Charles Kennedy conclude the Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference with a speech outlining his vision for a Liberal Democrat Britain.

He said: "I want a Britain with first class public services, so that people can be treated well in a local hospital, and they don't have to shop around for a decent school - they are there on the doorstep.

"I want a Britain that has a vibrant growing economy - that rewards success, not penalises it.

"A Britain that lives up to its responsibilities on the international stage - that values international law - that is genuinely outward looking and emphatically internationalist.

"These are the things that have driven me over those years - and still drive me. Not for me, not for us, but for Britain. A Liberal Democrat Britain."