With nominations closed in the race to succeed Sir Menzies Campbell, Liberal Democrat leadership hopeful Chris Huhne has set out his vision for the party.

Unveiling his leadership manifesto on Wednesday, the environment spokesman sought to distance himself from his only rival, home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg.

Insisting he was no "stunt double" for David Cameron, Huhne pledged to increase accountability by introducing a "people's veto" over unpopular legislation to provide a check on the "overweening" powers of the executive.

Huhne said that the two main parties had abandoned "big ideas and radical solutions", adding that there was no need for a "third Conservative Party."

Although he said the Lib Dems had to remain independent, he pledged to create a party which was "on the move" and indicated that he would consider entering a coalition with Labour or the Tories.

"You have to wait and see what the electorate come up with, but I'm very firmly of the view that there are certain preconditions for any deal with any of other party, regardless of who they are," he added.

"If you are in favour of partnership politics then certain things flow from that - you cannot have an election system where very small shifts in the vote produce very dramatic consequences."

And he said that if a minority government "were to come to us with particular ideas that had been in our manifesto, then we would of course support them".

Differences

Both contenders recently acknowledged that their differences are more about personality than policy, with bookmakers' favourite Clegg saying the public should not be "surprised that our similarities far outweigh our differences".

However Huhne said his age and experience distinguished him from 40-year-old Clegg, who has been compared to the Conservative leader.

"I'm certainly not proposing to be David Cameron's stunt double - I have far too much grey hair," he said.

"I think it's essential that we stress our differences, that we are different from both Labour and the Conservatives."

Huhne also said a referendum should be called if there was support from 2.5 per cent of voters.

And in a break from party policy, he repeated his doubts about renewing the Trident nuclear weapon system and called for the Lib Dems to say they would not replace it.

"You cannot properly equip our soldiers and spend £20bn on replacing Trident," he said. "We must back our troops and not Trident."

ID cards

Ahead of Huhne's manifesto launch, Clegg said he would refuse to partake in the government's controversial ID card scheme even if it meant facing court proceedings.

As leader, Clegg said he would urge fellow Lib Dem MPs and councils to ensure public services did not require the cards.

"If the government seeks to make ID cards compulsory on every British citizen I will lead a people's campaign to thwart the programme," he said. 

"I, and I expect thousands of people like me, will refuse to be forced to register. This is an issue that is so contrary to the spirit of British liberty and privacy that I would not be able to stand by.

"I am willing to do everything in my power to stop this intrusive, expensive and unnecessary imposition on the liberty of the British people."

Huhne also stressed his opposition to the scheme, saying: "I don't think it's right that a government with 35 per cent of the vote has a legitimate mandate to impose something that is so unpopular and corrosive to traditional freedoms in Britain as ID cards."

Campaigns

Huhne was the first to launch his campaign, pledging to create "a fairer and greener society where we put people in charge".

The home affairs spokesman has said the Lib Dems must "look to the future", and pledged to make the party less "introverted" than under previous leaders Charles Kennedy and Sir Menzies.

Although the contest will be decided by a ballot of the party's 55,000 strong membership, Clegg has secured the support of more than twice as many MPs as Huhne.

Some 27 of the 63 Lib Dem MPs gave him their backing, including 12 frontbenchers and former party leader Lord Ashdown.

Huhne gained the support of four Lib Dem frontbenchers, as well as 12 peers, four MSPs and one AM.

Clegg and Huhne will embark on 10 hustings around the country before ballot papers go out on November 21, with a return deadline of December 15.

The new Lib Dem leader will be announced in the week beginning December 16.