The Hindu : International : Lib-Dem leader quits

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Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007
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International

Lib-Dem leader quits

Hasan Suroor

Menzies Campbell

LONDON: After last week’s farce over the planned snap elections, which never happened, there was more political drama at Westminster on Tuesday as the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, Menzies Campbell, was forced to resign after his colleagues blamed the party’s slump in opinion polls on his age and lack of charisma.

At 66, Sir Menzies was considered too old to lead the party into the next general election in 2009 or 2010, and in his resignation letter he acknowledged that questions about his leadership were “getting in the way of further progress by the party”.

Sir Menzies, who took over just 18 months ago after his predecessor Charles Kennedy was forced out of office over his drinks problem, had been under pressure to raise his game as the party continued to haemorrhage, losing support to the Tories led by a young and telegenic David Cameron.

But, Sir Menzies had insisted that he had no plans to quit and, until minutes before the announcement was made, even his close aides had no clue.

One party source was reported as saying that he was a victim of an “absolutely brutal and cold-blooded hit”.

The party’s deputy leader, Vince Cable, will run the show until a successor is elected in December.

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