Mr Opik is campaigning to become the next Lib Dem party president

Lembit Opik is standing down as Liberal Democrat housing spokesman to concentrate on his campaign to succeed Simon Hughes as the party's president.

A Lib Dem spokesman said the MP for Montgomeryshire was facing two rivals in the presidency election - Baroness Scott and Chandila Fernando.

The housing portfolio will now be overseen by local government spokeswoman Julia Goldsworthy.

Voting for Lib Dem president ends on 7 November, with a result the next week.

Segway protest

Mr Opik is one of the best-known Lib Dem MPs, hitting the headlines for relationships with weather presenter Sian Lloyd and Cheeky Girls singer Gabriela Irimia.

His hobbies include flying planes and playing the ukelele, and he recently tried to get himself arrested as part of a campaign to allow Segway scooters on British roads.

Baroness Scott, a former audit commissioner and councillor in Suffolk, is vice-chairman of the Local Government Association.

She recently served as the party's spokesman on local government in the House of Lords.

Mr Fernando is director of the Liberal Vision think-tank. He has called for the Lib Dems to employ a "new style of campaigning, simplify their message and become more professional in order to be considered a real force in British Politics by the voting public".

Nick Clegg has said the Lib Dems are on the way to power in his first conference speech as party leader.

"I can't tell you every step on the road... but I can tell you where we're headed - government," he said in a rallying cry in Bournemouth.

He said they were the only party with "big, bold ideas" for the country.

He also hailed his new tax package and mounted a strong attack on rival parties, branding New Labour "finished" and the Tories "arrogant".

The 38-minute speech was warmly received by delegates who gave him a four minute standing ovation.

Much of it was devoted to explaining his new tax-cutting strategy, which the party conference backed this week despite opposition from some grassroots members.

Social justice

He distanced himself from what he said was the Conservative idea of tax cuts, telling delegates: "The very wealthy, the super-rich - should be paying more not less.

TAG CLOUD This tag cloud displays words in proportion to their frequency The word count is based on the text as prepared for delivery Analysis: Clegg speech Clegg's speech in full

"I will never support the Tory idea that you cut taxes for millionaires and the benefits somehow trickle down. That's not what struggling families need. They need their money back."

And he said offering tax cuts at the next election for struggling middle and low income families would mark the Lib Dems out as the only party committed to social justice, describing their plan as the most "progressive and redistributive" ever put forward by a British political party.

He also mounted a sustained attack on the government, saying: "They are so desperate to protect their own jobs, they can't be bothered to protect other people's."

"They are a zombie government."

Mr Clegg also turned his fire on David Cameron, accusing the Tory leader of "arrogance" and "born-to-rule conceit" and his party of not being able to come up with any concrete policies.

"Cameron's hope is to become the Andrex puppy of British politics. A cuddly symbol, perhaps.

"But fundamentally irrelevant to the product he's promoting," said Mr Clegg.

On wider economic issues, he called for tougher regulation of the banking system, saying a "firestorm" was spreading through the financial sector, and for measures to prevent people having their homes repossessed.

He called for increased investment in alternative sources of energy as the backbone of a "new, green economy" and reiterated the party's opposition to new nuclear and coal-fired power stations.

The truth is Lib Dem sums don't add up. They offer a menu without prices Angela Eagle, Labour

Turning to the public services, he called for billions to be spent on improving educational opportunities for the most disadvantaged and for patients to have more control over the care they receive.

He ended by pledging to "transform politics" with fewer MPs and an end to big donations and "fiddled expenses".

And in a bold echo of a former leadership speech by David Steel, pledged that the party was on the road to government, saying it would take "a giant leap forward" towards its goal of doubling its number of MPs at the next election.

The party currently has 66 MPs - the highest total in its history, but recent opinion polls suggest its support has not significantly increased since the last general election.

'Out of touch'

Opposition parties criticised the Lib Dems' tax policy, to be partly funded by billions of pounds in efficiency savings in public spending, as unclear and unrealistic.

Labour said Mr Clegg was "out of touch" with ordinary people after he forced onto the defensive on the eve of his first major party conference speech when he mistakenly said that the weekly state pension was "about 30 quid", a third of its actual value.

Treasury Minister Angela Eagle said: "The truth is Lib Dem sums don't add up. They offer a menu without prices."

The Lib Dems have also come under fire over their plan to cold call 250,000 voters with an automated message to get feedback on Mr Clegg's key policy promises.

The SNP accused the party of "hypocrisy" as it had been criticised by the Lib Dems for using automated calls.

But Lib Dem Chief Executive Lord Rennard insisted the calls were for market research purposes and not party propaganda.

The Information Commissioner's office said it was "concerned" about the plan but could not stop parties carrying out market research.

A spokesman added that they had contacted the Lib Dems to "clarify the nature of the calls" but had not yet seen the proposed script.

Nick Clegg prepares his speech with deputy leader Vince Cable

The Lib Dems are the only party that can deliver social justice, Nick Clegg is to say in his first major party conference speech as leader.

He will also tell delegates in Bournemouth "they are the only party with a plan" to beat the credit crunch, having put forward tax cut proposals.

Ahead of his speech, he admitted having made a gaffe in a local TV interview.

Mr Clegg said he had got it "spectacularly wrong" when he put the state pension at "about 30 quid now".

'Ivory tower'

He had been responding to a caller to a local ITV news show who challenged him to prove he knew how much the state pension figure was.

The true figure is £90.70 a week for a single person and £145.05 a week for a couple.

He was accused by Age Concern of "taking his eye off the ball" over pensioner poverty and Labour's Mike O'Brien said it showed the Lib Dem leader was out of touch.

"Nick Clegg has no idea how ordinary people live their lives. Anyone who thinks that pensioners could live on £30 a week must be living in an ivory tower - they simply wouldn't be able to survive.

"Their promise to cut the Child Trust Fund, which would hurt families struggling on modest incomes, is further proof of just how out of touch they are."

Mr Clegg has had an otherwise trouble-free conference despite having to contend with a bigger political drama going on elsewhere, in Gordon Brown's leadership troubles.

The Lib Dem leader succeeded in persuading a party more used to supporting tax rises that tax cuts - for low and middle income earners - are the way ahead.

if you are looking for a party which provides fairness, which provides a bit of hope in these times of real economic anxiety, I think the only party that stands up for you is the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg

And he is expected to tell party members later that he wants their tax policy to be the most progressive and redistributive ever put forward by a British political party, as well as describing New Labour as finished, and the Tories as vacuous.

In a new move, 250,000 people in 50 selected constituencies will also receive automated phone calls this evening from Mr Clegg, setting out the Lib Dem position on various policies, and asking for voter feedback.

He said the message of his speech would be that the Lib Dems were "the only party with a plan" to help people deal with the fallout from the present global economic turmoil.

Kitchen table

"Labour has failed millions of British people - they haven't delivered everything they promised in 1997," he said.

"David Cameron promises manna from heaven tomorrow but doesn't really make any choices and says everything people want to hear.

"So if you are looking for a party which provides fairness, which provides a bit of hope in these times of real economic anxiety, I think the only party that stands up for you is the Liberal Democrats.

"We are the only party with a plan, a plan to make Britain fairer for millions of British families who are worried about how they are going to pay for food on the kitchen table, how they are going to pay for a full tank of petrol, are they going to be able to take the children on holiday."

He said his proposed tax cuts were aimed at "taking money from wealthy people who enjoy huge loopholes in the tax system and giving that to low and middle incomes".

The government needed to spend people's money better, "but also, where there is money to spare, give it back in further tax cuts to people who need this help at this very, very difficult time", he said.

Mr Clegg said the "vast majority" of taxpayers would benefit - around 90% - and angrily dismissed any suggestion he was aligning himself with the Tories ahead of a potential coalition after the next general election.

Are you following the Lib Dem conference? What do you make of Nick Clegg's comments? Send us your views.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne has set out his vision for tackling crime, calling for better policing rather than tougher sentences.

At the party conference he attacked both Labour and the Conservatives for what he called "punishment posturing".

He said people should not be sent to jail for minor offences when other punishments would be more effective.

Resources must be directed towards more effective policing and detection rather than more prisons, Mr Huhne added.

'Tough choices'

In his speech, he said the crime debate "was totally removed from reality" and accused Labour of creating 3,600 new offences since 1997 - a form of "legislative diarrhoea" - rather than enforcing existing laws.

Labour and the Conservatives were ducking "hard thinking and tough choices" on crime prevention and penal reform, instead relying on ever-tougher sentencing.

"Penalties are tough enough," he said. "The answer is simple. Catch criminals to cut crime."

The Lib Dems are committed to putting 10,000 extra police officers on the streets.

The party has also set out its transport plans, reinforcing existing pledges for a national road pricing scheme for motorways and trunk roads, a new high-speed rail link from London to Manchester and a surcharge on air tickets for journeys within the UK to fund investment in public transport.

Transport spokesman Norman Baker said the plans would tackle congestion and pollution without unfairly penalising motorists.

Approval of the plan is an important victory for Nick Clegg

The Liberal Democrats have backed plans to make cuts to income tax for people on low and middling salaries.

The party's annual conference approved a policy document promising "big" reductions for struggling families at the next election.

Several MPs opposed the plan, urging leader Nick Clegg to keep spending on key public services as his priority.

The vote means the Lib Dems are the only one of the three main parties currently offering tax cuts.

It represents an important victory for Mr Clegg as he looks to put his stamp on the party after almost a year as leader.

The move, on top of an existing pledge to cut income tax by 4p, is seen by some as a bid to win over Tory voters in the run-up to the next election.

'Tighten belts'

The Lib Dems have campaigned in recent years on specific tax-raising pledges.

The leadership proposes to find the money for its change of policy through £20bn worth of savings in public spending.

After the result, Mr Clegg said: "This confirms that the Liberal Democrats are the only party with a clear plan to make Britain a fairer place."

Backing the tax-cutting motion, chief Lib Dem policy adviser Danny Alexander told the conference, in Bournemouth, it was necessary for "government to tighten its belt a little so that low-income families don't have to tighten theirs a lot".

"We will target investment where it is needed," he said.

"But once we have invested in our priorities, I would rather hand back extra money to struggling families than give it to central government. That is the choice."

Science spokesman Evan Harris tabled an amendment to the motion, insisting public services should be the main priority, rather than tax cuts, but this was easily defeated.

"Hero worship of our leaders does not help them avoid the pitfalls of being labelled a tax-cutting party," he argued.

Supporting Mr Harris, housing spokesman Paul Holmes said the party risked becoming a "Trojan horse" for those who wanted to "slash and burn" public spending.

He said Labour's investment in services since 1997 had made a difference and the Lib Dems risked become too closely identified with Tory policies from the 1980s.

In the past, the party has campaigned for an extra 1p on the basic rate of income tax to pay for a better education system.

At the last general election it called for high earners to pay a 50p rate.

Defending the shift in strategy, Treasury spokesman Vince Cable said the promise of tax cuts was "progressive" and did not mean the party was less committed to tackling inequality.

"Struggling families are asking can you give us a bit more freedom to spend the money we have earned," he said. "Pensioners are saying can you give us a bit more freedom to spend the money we have saved."

At a fringe meeting earlier in the day, former leader Sir Menzies Campbell enthusiastically endorsed the tax plan.

Over the last two years, the Conservatives have consistently said they will not propose any "unfunded" tax cuts at the next election, while maintaining an aspiration to cut the overall burden of taxation in the future.

Nick Clegg says his party approaches its conference in good heart

Nick Clegg has insisted the Liberal Democrats are holding their own in the polls and not being "squeezed" by a resurgent Conservative party.

As Lib Dem members head to Bournemouth for their autumn conference, Mr Clegg's first as leader, he said the mood in the party was "very good".

He urged members to focus on the "needs and everyday challenges" of the British people with "bang up to date policies".

There was a "massive gap" in politics for the party to fill, he added.

Good shape

In an interview with the Press Association, Mr Clegg said his party was in good shape despite concerns it has lost ground to the Tories as David Cameron has established a clear lead in the polls.

"We are actually about three or four points higher on average in the opinion polls than we were last October or a year ago," he said.

There is a huge gap there to really stand up for the vast majority of British households who I think really need a break Nick Clegg, Lib Dem leader

All leaders wanted to improve their party's position, Mr Clegg said, but he stressed there was "no evidence we have been seriously squeezed".

Mr Clegg will use the conference to set out his party's changed thinking on taxation, with members being asked to support the leadership's aspiration to cut the overall tax burden for 90% of households.

The party is already committed to cutting 4p off the basic rate of income tax, paid for by closing tax loopholes used by the wealthy and raising more through green taxes.

But with the economy deteriorating and living costs rising sharply, Mr Clegg said his party must be clear about its objective of making life easier for the "vast majority of British families".

The Lib Dems believe they have identified £20bn in efficiency savings to be made in government spending, some of which can be used to cut taxes for middle income earners.

"There is a massive gap in British politics which we are seeking to fill," Mr Clegg added. "There is a huge gap there to really stand up for the vast majority of British households who I think really need a break."

'Confusion'

But in an separate interview, party president Simon Hughes admitted there had been some "confusion" about its intentions on tax.

I think the British public do not yet understand that we want to cut income tax for people on low incomes Simon Hughes, Lib Dem president

He stressed that tax cuts for middle income earners were an option the party wanted to consider and not a pledge.

And he said the party needed to get the message across about its pledged support for those on low incomes much better.

"I think the British public do not yet understand that we want to cut income tax for people on low incomes," he told Andrew Neil in an interview with Hard Talk to be broadcast on the BBC News Channel on Saturday and Sunday.

"We must promote it. We must sing it from the rooftops."

Kirsty Williams announces her leadership intentions in Swansea

Kirsty Williams has confirmed that she will be a candidate to be the next leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats.

The Brecon and Radnorshire AM launched her campaign at a news conference in Swansea and if elected would become the first female leader of a Welsh party.

She said she wanted to "embrace" the party's "talent" and use it to achieve success "in all parts of Wales"

Mike German, who also heads the party's six-strong group of AMs, will stand down as leader next month.

He has led the party's assembly group since Welsh devolution began in 1999 and also became Lib Dem leader in Wales ten months ago, when he took over from Montgomeryshire MP Lembit Opik.

Party members will be asked to endorse plans to unify the two posts at the Welsh Lib Dem conference in October and to agree that only assembly members can run for the top job.

Answering reporters' questions, Ms Williams rejected a suggestion that, while she was "youthful and feisty" she was not the "strategic thinker" the party needed.

"It took strategic thinking and planning to secure my nomination in Brecon and Radnorshire," she said.

"People then said I would never get it, and I proved them wrong.

"People then said I would never win the constituency of Brecon and Radnorshire, and I won it and at successive elections I've gone on to increase my share of the vote

"I don't think you achieve that by simple being 'energetic and feisty'.

"It takes planning, it takes team building and team working and creating a team around you to deliver that kid of success.

"We have such talent in this party and I want to be a leader that embraces that talent and uses that talent to achieve success in all parts of Wales

"I think my pedigree and my track record negates that statement," she added.

Ms Williams opposed last year's failed plan to form a Welsh Assembly Government with Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives.

Aged 37, she has been an AM since 1999 and lives with her husband, Richard, and three young daughters on the family farm near Brecon.

Marketing executive

Born in Somerset, she moved to Carmarthenshire at the age of three, later working for Carmarthenshire College and as a marketing executive in Cardiff before entering full-time politics.

She was a member of the National Assembly Advisory Group (NAAG), which decided the institution's working arrangements when it was created.

Ms Williams speaks for her party on education, the economy and transport matters and is business manager for the Lib Dem AMs.

Her leadership bid has the backing of South Wales West AM Peter Black and Montgomeryshire AM Mick Bates is also expected to support her.

But is not yet clear whether Ms Williams will face a fight for the job.

Under current rules candidates to be group leader need to be endorsed by another Lib Dem AM.

But this requirement could be dropped for the new role making it easier for other politicians to stand.

Cardiff Central AM Jenny Randerson is still thinking about whether or not to throw her hat into the ring.

In a statement Ms Randerson said: "At this stage I have not yet reached a decision regarding the party leadership but I will consider the options over the coming weeks.

"It is unlikely that I will make any further statement or comment in the immediate future.

"People should be very clear that currently I am not ruling myself out nor am I ruling myself in."

North Wales AM Eleanor Burnham is understood to want to stand but to be unsure whether she will be nominated.

Mr Opik (third left) challenged ministers to have him arrested

A ban on using two-wheeler Segways has deliberately been flouted by an MP in protest at the law.

Lib Dem Lembit Opik rode a Segway up and down outside the Houses of Parliament, challenging ministers to have him arrested.

He was joined by Conservative peers Lord Attlee and the Earl of Liverpool on the five-minute demonstration.

Both the Tories and Lib Dems have called for the 12mph battery-powered vehicles to be allowed in cycle lanes.

The Segway Personal Transporter, which can carry one person for 24 miles before it needs to be recharged, uses gyroscopes to maintain balance but can only be driven on private land in the UK.

'Revolution'

It is illegal to use them on highways or pavements.

Mr Opik says it is very flexible, convenient in rural areas as well as large cities - and environmentally friendly.

The MP said he uses his Segway to travel about his Montgomeryshire constituency and has trained dozens of his constituents to use them.

"This is the biggest step forward in transportation since the Wright brothers," the MP joked as he showed off the machine to the media.

The MP had stencilled "Police" on the front of his Segway to "make a point" about how they could be used by the Metropolitan Police.

He claimed the devices would herald a transport "revolution" in the capital as commuters turned to them instead of cars and bicycles.

Asked by one reporter if it was appropriate for an MP to be promoting a commercial product in this way, he said: "Lighten up".

Earlier, the MP said: "It seems ludicrous that such an environmentally friendly way of getting around has been dismissed by the British government".

He said the government seemed "paralysed with indecision".

"On the one hand they say that the Segway PT isn't legal, on the other hand they are unable to point to a single scrap of evidence in British law to show why they should be banned."

Bush fall

He added: "For these reasons I've decided to take a stand, and am challenging the government to either have us arrested or to accept that not doing so means the Segway PT is effectively legal transport."

Mr Opik said they were already used by hundreds of police forces across the world and at Heathrow Airport. US President George Bush famously fell off one in 2003.

We would require robust evidence to support the benefits and further consideration of the risks posed to users and others before reviewing this policy Dept for Transport spokesman

Some 250,000 have been sold worldwide. It is thought there are about 2,000 in the UK, where they cost around £4,300 each.

In its guidance, the Department for Transport says it would be "difficult" for scooters such as Segways to meet the standards required to be classified as road vehicles.

Segways and other scooters are not included in the same category as bicycles, as they cannot be pedalled.

A spokesman for the department said: "The safety of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists is our primary concern.

"The Segway does not currently meet basic safety standards for use on UK roads - for example an absence of lights and indicators, and the lack of a back-up braking system.

"Current legislation restricts Segway use in the UK to private land e.g. airports, shopping malls etc.

"We would require robust evidence to support the benefits and further consideration of the risks posed to users and others before reviewing this policy."

Nick Clegg says the stamp duty move is 'dangerous'

The government has been accused of trying to "bribe" people into buying into a falling housing market with its stamp duty holiday.

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said raising the level the tax starts from £125,000 to £175,000 could lead to people being "saddled with negative equity".

He also accused foreign-owned energy companies of "blackmailing" the government over fuel costs.

Ministers are in talks with the energy firms over help with winter fuel bills.

The government is playing down talk of an economic relaunch and instead stressing it simply wants to help hard-pressed families deal with the credit crunch and rising prices.

Unveiling the 12-month stamp duty holiday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "Home owners need to know that we will do everything we can to keep the housing market moving."

'Small beer'

But economists warned it would have little impact on the housing market and may put public finances under more pressure.

Investec economist David Page called the move - which will save housebuyers a maximum of £1,750 - "small beer".

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"To put this in context, it is the equivalent of less than one month of house price falls at the moment," he said.

The Conservatives - who want stamp duty axed for first-time buyers of properties up to £250,000 - have also said the move will make little difference to the housing market.

Shadow chancellor George Osborne said: "This is a short-term survival plan for the prime minister, not a long-term recovery plan for the economy."

And Mr Clegg warned it could lead to people becoming trapped in negative equity.

"We certainly would not have tried to bribe people through this stamp duty holiday into buying into a falling housing market," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"That's terrifically dangerous, because you might well be tempting people back into a housing market just at a time when they'll be saddled with negative equity in the months ahead.

"In my view, the priority for the housing market is first to stem the possible flood of repossessions, by making repossessions very much the last resort.

"And secondly, freeing up - and this is what the government has refused to do, it's the major mistake in their strategy - freeing up councils to borrow against their own assets so they can buy up unsold properties and provide more social housing."

'Windfall tax'

Mr Clegg also attacked the government's efforts to secure a deal with the energy companies - who are reportedly threatening to increase bills for the better-off or cut investment in infrastructure to pay for a handout to poorer customers.

The Lib Dem leader said that, if true, this amounted to a "glorified form of blackmail, particularly by the foreign-owned energy generating companies".

"This is a ridiculous state of affairs, not least because this government has issued more than £9bn of windfall subsidies to precisely those energy generating companies," he told Today.

But he rejected calls for a windfall tax on the energy firms - saying the money would simply "disappear into the clammy hands of the Treasury".

Instead, the companies should be forced to "plough back" some of the £9bn "windfall" he said they had received from the European emissions trading scheme into home insulation and help for vulnerable consumers.

The government is expected to make an announcement in the next week on help for energy consumers.

Downing Street is insisting it has not ruled out a windfall tax - and dismissed suggestions the idea had been raised simply to put pressure on them to offer concessions.

The prime minister's official spokesman said: "Our position has not changed. We want to work with the energy companies but we rule nothing out."

The spokesman described ongoing talks with the energy companies as "constructive."

Backbench pressure

Last week, government sources indicated Chancellor Alistair Darling had "serious reservations" about the idea of a windfall tax.

Mr Darling said he "was not minded" to impose a such a tax as the companies could simply pass the extra cost on to customers.

However, the government is under mounting pressure from Labour backbenchers, with more than 100 signing a petition calling for a windfall tax.

Organisers of the campaign say they have also secured a resolution on the issue to be debated at the TUC conference next week, which they claim is almost certain to be passed. And they are hopeful of ensuring the issue is also debated at Labour's annual conference in Manchester later this month.

It is individual farmers' responsibility to have their animals vaccinated

A bluetongue protection zone is to be extended to cover the whole of Wales after cases of the livestock disease were found in Devon.

Until now, only south east Wales was under a protection order, which enables farmers to vaccinate cows and sheep against the virus.

The Welsh Assembly Government has ordered 7.5m doses of the vaccine, and has urged farmers to inoculate animals.

September is the highest risk period for the spread of the disease.

Bluetongue is spread by a species of midge and can be fatal to animals such as sheep and cows.

Over recent weeks, there have been more than 5,000 new cases of bluetongue in northern Europe, and last week cases were confirmed in imported cattle in Devon.

Under European livestock rules, once an area has been designated a protected zone vaccinations can be issued.

Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones said: "The cases in Devon clearly show that bluetongue is a real threat to Wales' agriculture industry.

If animals are not vaccinated farmers will be putting their own and their neighbour's livestock and business at risk Christianne Glossop, Wales' chief vet

"The best protection we have against it is vaccination.

"That is why I would urge farmers to vaccinate as soon as they can. If they haven't already done so they must contact their private vet now to make the necessary arrangements.

"Farmers need to act to protect their livestock and vaccination is the best defence against this disease.

"The Welsh Assembly Government has ensured access to vaccine for Welsh farmers - the responsibility now rests with individual farmers to protect their animals."

Wales' chief vet Christianne Glossop said: "If animals are not vaccinated farmers will be putting their own and their neighbours' livestock and business at risk.

"The protection zone now covers all of Wales, and this is the opportunity for Welsh farmers to protect their livelihood. It is their responsibility to do this."

Both the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) and the National Farmers' Union (NFU) Cymru welcomed the move.

FUW president Gareth Vaughan said: "The disease is now on our doorstep and from Monday Welsh farmers will be able to take action to minimise the risk to their livestock.

"I therefore urge farmers who have not yet ordered vaccine from their vets to do so immediately."

NFU Cymru president Dai Davies said farmers could not afford to be "complacent or apathetic" about vaccinating, and that the alternative was "unthinkable".

He added: "This is the only way we can safeguard our stock and protect ourselves from the devastating economic consequences of this disease once it strikes."