Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy has brought in three new faces to the party's top team in his own reshuffle.

The key posts remain unchanged but Norman Baker, David Laws and Andrew George have been promoted into what the party calls its shadow cabinet.

Romsey MP Sandra Gidley has been made spokesperson for women in a move Mr Kennedy said would help put more concentration on women's issues.

Despite speculation he would be standing aside, Alan Beith keeps his role as deputy leader of the party but veteran MP Malcolm Bruce has left the shadow cabinet in what a party spokesman said was a voluntary departure.

Famous

Mr Bruce's role of tackling the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has been split in two.

Norman Baker, who is famous for his parliamentary questions, including the one that prompted Peter Mandelson's resignation in the Hinduja passport affair, takes over the environment brief.

Mr Baker, a former backbencher of the year, first worked in Westminster as an environmental researcher.

And Mr George, who has served on the Commons agriculture select commitee and been a fisheries spokesman, will now speak for the party on rural affairs and food issues.

Mr Laws, who used the party's policy director, moves from being a junior defence spokesman to shadowing the chief secretary to the Treasury.

In that role he replaces Ed Davey, who is promoted to take on Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, particularly on local government and regions responsibilities.

The changes were signalled by Mr Kennedy in his party conference speech, where he joked: "A reshuffle, now there's an idea!"

Women focus

Announcing the reshuffle, the Lib Dem leader said: "I welcome three new colleagues to membership of the Liberal Democrat shadow cabinet.

"It is highly important to build on the internal work being done by the Gender Balance Task Force in respect of the promotion of more women candidates and a greater concentration on women's issues.

"That is why Sandra Gidley will give a focus to these issues at a more senior level."

The changes mean that 25 of the party's 53 MPs are now in its "shadow cabinet".

The new list of junior spokesman is to be announced later.