Kennedy eyes up bigger role

Lib Dems say they will do most for women

The Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy says his party could replace the Conservatives as the "most serious" opposition to Labour after the election.

He was speaking as some of the party's leading women politicians foucused on the drive to take women out of poverty at their Tuesday news conference.

Mr Kennedy told a BBC News Online webcast that Labour was "looking the likely winner" in the election - and might win by a landslide.

He said the Tories would be in no position to offer any "coherent opposition" - and so the Lib Dems could fill the role.

Meanwhile, veteran politician Shirley Williams, now Lady Williams, appeared alongside leading Lib Dems Diana Maddock, Jackie Ballard and Jenny Tonge to highlight issues that they said were of central importance to women's lives.

Lady Williams stressed that this election campaign had been bad for women.

She said women had made progress in politics by a process of "erosion" but stressed that true representation would only come with an electoral system based on proportional representation.

Poverty, domestic violence and issues like child care were also issues that were central to women, they said.

But it was the way that parliament operated that put many women off - especially women with families.

"It is reforming the way that the House of Commons works that will attract people into putting their names forward," said the former MP, Lady Maddock.