Shaun LowthorpeThe Liberal Democrats will formally adopt David Stephen as their candidate in Norwich North on Thursday.Lord McNally, leader of the Lib Dem peers in the House of Lords, will be the guest speaker at a constituency party meeting in Sprowston at 7.Shaun Lowthorpe

The Liberal Democrats will formally adopt David Stephen as their candidate in Norwich North on Thursday.

Lord McNally, leader of the Lib Dem peers in the House of Lords, will be the guest speaker at a constituency party meeting in Sprowston at 7.30pm.

Mr Stephen, a former UN official, whose mother lived in the Norwich area, said the election was wide open.

'More than ever, people are telling us that this time they will give the Lib Dems their support,' Mr Stephen said. 'The voters of Norwich North - as I have found - are worried. They were disgusted by the scandal over MPs' expenses. At the same time they know that neither Labour nor the Tories are coming clean about the draconian measures that will be necessary to restore the public finances, whatever the composition of the next government, in a few weeks' or months' time.

'So there is a huge clamour for a cleaner, more effective and more accountable political system. And people agree with Vince Cable that the economy needs to be rebalanced, away from dependence on financial services and towards the urgent development of new industries, especially those based on scientific innovation and offering a greener future.'