Ashdown: 'Distasteful moralising'

The Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown has warned the Prime Minister Tony Blair that he must halt his strain of "moral authoritarianism" within the government or face opposition from the Liberal Democrats.

Mr Ashdown was speaking on the eve of a regional tour of Britain during which he will urge party members to keep on backing the party's policy of constructive opposition towards the Labour Government.

Reservations about Tony Blair: Ashdown

With Mr Ashdown and four colleagues now on a cabinet committee with Labour ministers, critics of the Liberal Democrats say he and his party are all but bound to the government.

In an interview on BBC radio, Mr Ashdown said he had serious reservations about the direction the government were taking.

"I'm worried about this government. I think it has a number of flaws that it needs to correct quite early," he said.

"One of them is a certain tendency towards moral authoritarianism which I think is distasteful to what most people think a government ought to be in this country."

Asked if he would accept a cabinet seat from Mr Blair, the Mr Ashdown said: "I think it is exceedingly unlikely that any such thing could happen."

Mr Ashdown said he understood the rumours of a possible offer of ministerial jobs for Liberal Democrats "may well be coming from No 10 Downing Street itself but they are, it seems to me, speculation of the widest form".

He said the policy of constructive opposition, backing the government where it agreed with their policies but stoutly opposing where it did not, had reaped huge dividends.

His regional tour will seek to prepare the way for a vote at the Liberal Democrat spring conference in March in which he will seek renewed backing from the party for that strategy.

To reassure doubters, he will offer a double strategy that there will be no political deal with the government if it contradicts Liberal Democrat values and unless it is backed by the parliamentary party and a conference vote by members.

The Liberal Democrat peer and former Labour cabinet minister, Baroness Williams echoed Mr Ashdown's concerns over social policy.

"There is a problem about social policy," she said. "It is very dear to the hearts of Liberal Democrats and I think that we have got to ask Labour to listen to those of us who are concerned."

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