Lib Dems vow to be 'constructive opposition' and work with Labour to get 'fair deal for UK'

The Lib Dems will work "constructively" with Labour to get a "fair deal for the UK", the party's chief whip will say at the opening of their annual conference.

Wendy Chamberlain will address the four-day event on Saturday morning - the first such one to take place since the party's most successful general election results ever.

Now the third largest cohort in parliament, the North East Fife MP will set out how her party plans to use their boost in numbers to be a “constructive opposition” and fight for public services, particularly the NHS and social care.

She will declare the "Liberal Democrats are the party of the NHS and care in every part of Britain" and criticise the "out of touch Conservative party who allowed hospitals to crumble and waiting lists to soar".

However, she will refrain from attacking the new Labour government, saying voters want to see MPs '"working together".

Ms Chamberlain is expected to say: "The Liberal Democrats are the party of the NHS and care in every part of Britain.

"The out-of-touch Conservative Party who allowed hospitals to crumble and waiting lists to soar, can never be trusted with the NHS.

"Nowadays, the 8am scramble to see a GP is even harder than getting an Oasis ticket."

The Lib Dems won 72 seats when the nation went to the polls in July, in a record-breaking set of results that saw them oust four Tory cabinet ministers.

It meant they regained their position as the third-largest party behind Labour and the Conservatives, after being punished at the ballot box following the coalition years.

They put the NHS and social care at the heart of their manifesto, with Lib Dem leader Ed Davey opening up about being a carer for his teenage son.

Ms Chamberlain will go on to say the Lib Dems will take a "very different approach to the SNP and the Conservative Party" in terms of holding Labour to account, and aim to work constructively with the new party of government.

"I think what people want to see is MPs working together to try and secure a fair deal for the whole of the UK - not trying to divide us," she will say.

"Being the third party is a big responsibility. We have a far greater ability to affect change now than we did in the previous parliament. We want to be a constructive opposition. We want to be local champions. We want to do things differently."

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However, the peace offering will only go so far, as the MP for North East Fife in Scotland will also criticise the SNP's record in Holyrood, calling it a "lesson in taking voters for granted".

The pro-independence party were reduced to just nine seats at the election, down from 48.

Ms Chamberlain will claim the Lib Dems "played our part" in beating the SNP.

While insisting she does not want to "gloat about their demise", she will say: "I do think there is a lesson for everyone in politics about what happens if you take voters for granted.

"I'm not sure the SNP had that sense of entitlement a decade ago. But over recent years they have used their position on the green benches in Westminster not to work to improve things, but grandstand.

"And they used their positions of power in the Scottish government not to deliver, but to overpromise.

"No wonder so many former SNP voters that I spoke to during the campaign were utterly disillusioned with the party.

"Meanwhile, Liberal Democrats were out there offering positive solutions."