LIBERAL Democrat leader Charles Kennedy was today the first of the three main party leaders to visit Hampshire as the general election campaign began in earnest.

Mr Kennedy was joined by sitting Romsey MP Sandra Gidley at Hampshire Cricket's Rose Bowl ground in West End as the party launched its mini-manifesto for families.

Lib Dems hope to keep its seats in the traditionally Conservative constituencies of Winchester, Eastleigh and Romsey while making further inroads across Hampshire.

The Lib Dem leader vowed to guarantee parents £170 per week for six months after the birth of their first child at the start of the second day of campaigning.

At a press conference he said the Maternity Income Guarantee would be an increase on the present alternative of statutory maternity pay, which the party claims was currently set at £102 per week.

In other initiatives Mr Kennedy said his party would reduce class sizes for five to seven-year-olds and create 3,500 children centres while increasing pre and after-school care by extending opening hours of schools from 8am to 6pm.

Mr Kennedy said family issues would be extremely important during the election campaign.

"They (the pledges) are all designed to increase support for the family and maintain the central role of the family in society," he said.

Mr Kennedy added that the British people had not "forgiven" Tony Blair for his tax rises and the war in Iraq and that the Conservatives "were the party of the past".

Mrs Gidley said: "Labour and the Conservatives have fallen into the trap of not recognising that families come in all shapes and sizes and include more than two generations.

"Liberal Democrats look after the family from the cradle to the grave. We would offer new mothers the option of receiving a maternity income guarantee equivalent to the minimum wage of £170 per week for the first six months after the birth of their first child."

THE GREEN Party candidate for Southampton Test John Spottiswoode has issued a challenge to his opponents in the general election race to a public debate over the health service.

Mr Spottiswoode claims that other parties all favour the use of the private sector in the NHS - something the Greens oppose as they claim it leads to more expensive care.

Mr Spottiswoode criticised Tory plans for subsidising NHS patients to use the private sector because he claimed it would lead to wealthier patients jumping the queue.

He also criticised New Labour and the Liberal Democrats for supporting Private Finance Initiatives (PFIs) saying that it would be bound to be more expensive and inefficient as private companies must pay a higher rate of interest to borrow money and make profits for shareholders.

He said: "The Greens say that a major cause of ill-health is inequality - and would reduce it by increasing income tax on high earners to 60 per cent of earnings over £100,000 and 50 per cent from those on £50,000 to £100,000, using the revenue to pay for the NHS."