Charles Kennedy has described the Liberal Democrats as the "real opposition" to the government on Iraq, identity cards and council tax.

Launching his party's push towards the general election on Monday, the Lib Dem leader said it was his party which was asking all the hard questions of the government.

Kennedy said the Lib Dems would fight the next election on Iraq, ID cards, scrapping council tax, axing tuition and top-up fees, a citizens' pension with higher payments for the over-75s, and free personal care for the elderly.

He is now to spend two days a week visiting target seats, many of them held by Labour.

He will be supported in the campaign by foreign affairs spokesman Sir Menzies Campbell, Vincent Cable and Mark Oaten, his , economics and home affairs spokesmen, as well as Simon Hughes, party president, and Matthew Taylor, manifesto chief.

He told a press conference at his party headquarters in Cowley Street in London: "We have no arbitrary or artificial limit on our ambition. United, principled, ambitious as a national opposition party, we are ambitious for our country as well."