The Liberal Democrats are to table proposals in Parliament for a fixed four-year general election cycle.

Ming Campbell told the BBC:

“It’s high time, in my view, that the decision about a general election is not part of the discretion of the Prime Minister.

“Inevitably in those circumstances the Prime Minister’s attitude will be conditioned by what he thinks is best for him and best for his party.

“We should have it done on a fixed full-term basis then everyone knows where they stand, the public has a degree of certainty and a degree of confidence in the process, which the events of the last week have shown is sadly lacking.”

Liberal Democrat Leader Ming Campbell launched an attack on Gordon Brown for failing to deliver real change for Britain in his first 100 days as Prime Minister.

He said:

“Mr Brown has been working hard to convince the British public that there has been real change in Number 10.

“Yet he cannot escape the fact that as Chancellor he had unparalleled influence over government. He failed to raise green taxes to tackle climate change, supported and signed the cheques for the Iraq war and personally led a smash and grab raid on private pensions.

“As Prime Minister Gordon Brown may talk about change, but he has failed to deliver the real change that Britain needs.

“He has failed to end Labour’s assault on civil liberties, failed to grasp the nettle of climate change, failed to open the poverty trap, failed to give power back to people and failed to restore Britain’s international reputation.

“This country needs a new direction and Gordon Brown can’t deliver it.”

Liberal Democrat Leader Ming Campbell has called on Labour and the Conservatives to focus on the real issue facing our troops in Iraq, the timing of their withdrawal, not the timing of political announcements.

He said:

“It’s time both the Labour and Conservative parties stopped playing cynical political games over Iraq and took responsibility for their disastrous military action there.

“It certainly hasn’t taken long for a Prime Minister billed as a statesman to show himself as just another short term political tactician once a general election is in the offing.

“We mustn’t allow shallow posturing to obscure the real issue: what possible purpose is served by British troops remaining in Iraq?

“If their continued presence is merely to provide political cover for the United States then the Government must come clean.”

Sign Ming’s petition to pull British troops out of Iraq here.

Commenting on the revelation that only 500 extra troops are being withdrawn from Iraq, Liberal Democrat Leader Menzies Campbell said:

“Any troop withdrawal from Iraq is welcome, but this is a cynical effort to manipulate the figures and make it look more significant than is really the case.

“In fact only 500 more troops will be pulled out of southern Iraq, since the withdrawal of the other 500 had already been announced.

“It still leaves 4,500 British troops trapped in Basra airport where they no longer serve any real military or political purpose.

“What we need is a clear timetable to withdraw all our forces to safety within six months.”

Responding to reports, accompanying Gordon Brown’s visit to Iraq today, that 2,000 troops could be brought home by the spring, Liberal Democrat Leader Ming Campbell said:

“While we welcome any reduction in the number of British troops in Iraq, there is now an urgent need to get all the 5,000 remaining troops home.

“The overriding question is whether there is any military or political benefit to be gained from the continued presence of our armed forces in Iraq. The answer is clearly no.

“The Government should draw up a timetable to get all our soldiers safely home within six months.”

Sign Ming’s petition to pull British troops out of Iraq here.