Liberal Democrats leadership election, 2007
Encyclopedia
Menzies Campbell
Sir Walter Menzies "Ming" Campbell, CBE, QC, MP is a British Liberal Democrat politician and advocate, and a retired sprinter. He is the Member of Parliament for North East Fife, and was the Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2 March 2006 until 15 October 2007.Campbell held the British record...
as leader on 15 October 2007, after 19 months as leader of the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
, the third-largest political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Vincent Cable
Vincent Cable
Dr. John Vincent "Vince" Cable is a British Liberal Democrat politician and economist who is currently the Business Secretary in the coalition cabinet of David Cameron. He has been Member of Parliament for Twickenham since 1997....
, the deputy leader of the parliamentary party, was acting leader until the conclusion of the leadership election. The result was announced on 18 December 2007 with Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
winning by a narrow margin of 1.2%.
Result
| Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Clegg Nick Clegg Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister... |
20,988 | 50.6 | ||
| Chris Huhne Chris Huhne Christopher Murray Paul-Huhne, generally known as Chris Huhne is a British politician and cabinet minister, who is the current Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for the Eastleigh constituency in Hampshire... |
20,477 | 49.4 | ||
| Turnout | 41,465 | 64.1 | ||
| Sources: result; turnout | ||||
The turnout at this leadership election was over 10,000 fewer than in the 2006
Liberal Democrats leadership election, 2006
In the 2006 Liberal Democrats leadership election, Sir Menzies Campbell was elected to succeed Charles Kennedy as Leader of the Liberal Democrats, the third-largest political party in the United Kingdom....
election. A total of 64,727 ballot papers were issued, compared with 72,064 for the 2006 contest.
Background
The resignation of Menzies Campbell came after a period of speculation about his future as party leader. This was seen as due to media-inspired concerns over his age and poor poll ratings for the party. This speculation mounted after Prime Minister Gordon BrownGordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
announced he would not be calling a General Election in 2007. The resignation was announced by the party president Simon Hughes
Simon Hughes
Simon Henry Ward Hughes is a British politician and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats. He is Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark. Until 2008 he was President of the Liberal Democrats...
and the deputy leader of the parliamentary party Vincent Cable
Vincent Cable
Dr. John Vincent "Vince" Cable is a British Liberal Democrat politician and economist who is currently the Business Secretary in the coalition cabinet of David Cameron. He has been Member of Parliament for Twickenham since 1997....
.
The rules of the contest
The timetable for the election was announced on 16 October 2007 with the new leader to be announced on 18 December. Liberal Democrat leadership elections use the STV (single transferable voteSingle transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
) electoral system and secret ballot - although, since only two candidates contested this election, the contest effectively became a simple plurality vote
Plurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
.
Nominations for candidates opened on 16 October 2007 and closed at 16:00 (UTC+0) on 31 October: each candidate needed the support of at least 10% of Liberal Democrat MPs (i.e. 7 MPs) and at least 200 party members from at least 20 different local parties. MPs could only nominate one candidate, unlike the previous election
Liberal Democrats leadership election, 2006
In the 2006 Liberal Democrats leadership election, Sir Menzies Campbell was elected to succeed Charles Kennedy as Leader of the Liberal Democrats, the third-largest political party in the United Kingdom....
.
A series of online and offline hustings meetings were held around the country, and were listed on the party's official news page for the contest.
Balloting of members commenced on 21 November with the distribution of ballots to party members, the deadline for their return being 15 December and the victor to be announced at around 2:30 p.m. on 18 December 2007.
Opening of the campaign
In media reports and the betting markets, the front-runners were friends Nick CleggNick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
(Home Affairs spokesperson) and Chris Huhne
Chris Huhne
Christopher Murray Paul-Huhne, generally known as Chris Huhne is a British politician and cabinet minister, who is the current Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for the Eastleigh constituency in Hampshire...
(Environment spokesperson). Huhne ran in the 2006 leadership election
Liberal Democrats leadership election, 2006
In the 2006 Liberal Democrats leadership election, Sir Menzies Campbell was elected to succeed Charles Kennedy as Leader of the Liberal Democrats, the third-largest political party in the United Kingdom....
, coming second to Campbell, whom Clegg had supported.
After Campbell's surprise resignation, there was speculation as to who would run. Various contenders ruled themselves out early on (including notably Vincent Cable
Vincent Cable
Dr. John Vincent "Vince" Cable is a British Liberal Democrat politician and economist who is currently the Business Secretary in the coalition cabinet of David Cameron. He has been Member of Parliament for Twickenham since 1997....
, Edward Davey
Edward Davey
Edward Jonathan "Ed" Davey is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Kingston and Surbiton since 1997, and in May 2010 was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...
, Lynne Featherstone
Lynne Featherstone
Lynne Choona Featherstone , is a British Liberal Democrat politician, and the Member of Parliament for Hornsey and Wood Green....
, Julia Goldsworthy
Julia Goldsworthy
Julia Anne Goldsworthy is a Special Adviser in HM Treasury to Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander. She was the Member of Parliament for Falmouth and Camborne from 2005 until she lost her seat by 66 votes to George Eustice, the Conservative candidate in the 2010 general election in...
, Simon Hughes
Simon Hughes
Simon Henry Ward Hughes is a British politician and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats. He is Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark. Until 2008 he was President of the Liberal Democrats...
, Susan Kramer
Susan Kramer
Susan Veronica Kramer, Baroness Kramer is a British Liberal Democrat politician. She was Member of Parliament for Richmond Park from 2005 to 2010, having been an unsuccessful candidate in the London mayoral election in 2000....
, David Laws
David Laws
David Anthony Laws is a British politician. He is Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Yeovil and former Chief Secretary to the Treasury....
, Sarah Teather
Sarah Teather
Sarah Louise Teather is a British Liberal Democrat politician, Member of Parliament for Brent Central, Minister of State at the Department for Education, and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Guantanamo Bay....
and Steve Webb
Steve Webb
Steven John Webb, better known as Steve Webb , is an English Liberal Democrat politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Thornbury & Yate and the Minister of State for Pensions.-Background:...
), leading to the possibility of only two candidates achieving sufficient nominations. Huhne launched his campaign first on Wednesday 17 October, with Clegg launching his on Friday 19 October.
John Hemming
John Hemming (politician)
John Alexander Melvin Hemming is a British politician, the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Yardley and Group Chair of the Liberal Democrats on the city council of Birmingham, England....
announced on his blog that he wished to stand, and that he was taking soundings from colleagues, but he went on to acknowledge that it would be too difficult for him to obtain sufficient MP nominators. Former leader Charles Kennedy
Charles Kennedy
Charles Peter Kennedy is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who led the Liberal Democrats from 9 August 1999 until 7 January 2006 and is currently a Member of Parliament for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency....
initially said he was "highly unlikely" to run again, and that it is not part of his "game plan", but did not completely rule out the possibility. He later more clearly rejected the idea.
Huhne and then Clegg submitted their formal nomination paperwork. Clegg attracted most support from fellow MPs, although both candidates had high-profile supporters, including former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown
Paddy Ashdown
Jeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE, PC , usually known as Paddy Ashdown, is a British politician and diplomat....
for Clegg and former Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
leader David Steel
David Steel
David Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood, KT, KBE, PC is a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as the Leader of the Liberal Party from 1976 until its merger with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the Liberal Democrats...
for Huhne.
Nominations closed at 16:00 (UTC+0) on 31 October 2007.
Policy differences
Nick Clegg has taken a more multilateralist line than Chris Huhne, who is opposed to the TridentUK Trident programme
The UK Trident programme is the United Kingdom's Trident missile-based nuclear weapons programme. Under the programme, the Royal Navy operates 58 nuclear-armed Trident II D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles and around 200 nuclear warheads on 4 Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines from...
ballistic missile system. Nick Clegg favours retaining half of Trident's arsenal to use as a bargaining chip in 2010 negotiations, Chris Huhne sees saving money on the nuclear deterrent as being a viable means of raising money to fund greater spending on army equipment and conventional weaponry with the possibility of a smaller deterrent system.
Chris Huhne has emphasised his opposition to voucher systems in the provision of public services. Nick Clegg denies supporting voucher systems, and has gone on record as ruling such systems out.
Nick Clegg has stated that he sees the Liberal Democrats role in a hung parliament
Hung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
as being to support whichever party is most likely to be able to form a government, however he has said that the other two main party leaders and their parties are both conservative and that he is neither an heir to Blair nor a Cameron clone and that he sees liberalism as being more important than ever, and has accused Chris Huhne of entering "an unholy alliance" with the SNP
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
and Conservatives over the environment and his supporting the principle of elements of the Conservative Party plans to have English only voting for English only matters.
On most issues the two candidates share common positions on the environment, identity cards, counter-terrorism and the war in Iraq.
The campaign continues
Both candidates appeared at several hustings organised by the party. There were also joint appearances on the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's TV shows Question Time
Question Time
Question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers , which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be cancelled in exceptional circumstances...
, Newsnight
Newsnight
Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
and The Politics Show
The Politics Show
The Politics Show is an hour long BBC One television political programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sundays. The programme usually starts at midday, but is often earlier or later when sporting events clash in the schedules. It was launched in 2003 and was originally presented by Jeremy...
, the latter of which saw a spat between the candidates after Huhne's campaign team had delivered a press briefing document to the show mistitled "Calamity Clegg", leading to a formal complaint from the Clegg team.
Huhne was generally acknowledged to have "edged" the televised debate - the candidates clashed on issues including Trident and presentation - and a straw poll following the Cambridge hustings placed Huhne as much as 2-1 ahead. However, given the unreliability of such polls, and Clegg's continued position as the bookies' favourite, the consensus in the party and media was that the two were running neck and neck. Some columnists have been critical of Clegg's debate performances.
A YouGov
YouGov
YouGov, formerly known as PollingPoint in the United States, is an international internet-based market research firm launched in the UK in May 2000 by Stephan Shakespeare, now Chief Executive Officer, and Nadhim Zahawi...
poll of party members gave Clegg a 56% to 44% lead in late November, although about half of respondents had yet to vote. On 3 December 2007, on the basis of another poll, Clegg claimed to be well ahead with 60% of votes cast so far in his favour.
Votes delayed in Christmas post
About 1,300 postal votes were caught up in the Christmas post and missed the election deadline. An unofficial check of the late papers showed Huhne had enough votes among them to hand him victory. Huhne stood by the result, saying "Nick Clegg won fair and square on the rules counting the ballot papers that arrived in by the deadline. There is no question of any re-run."Nick CleggNick CleggNicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
Supporters included:
- MPs: Danny AlexanderDanny AlexanderDaniel Grian Alexander is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been Chief Secretary to the Treasury since 2010. He has been the Member of Parliament for the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey constituency since 2005....
, Norman BakerNorman BakerNorman John Baker is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Lewes in East Sussex since 1997. Since May 2010 he has been Parliamentary Under Secretary for the Department for Transport....
, John Barrett, Sir Alan Beith, Colin BreedColin BreedColin Edward Breed is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament for South East Cornwall from 1997 until he stood down at the 2010 general election.-Early life:...
, Jeremy BrowneJeremy BrowneJeremy Richard Browne is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Taunton Deane since 2005 and a Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 2010.-Early life and education:...
, Malcolm BruceMalcolm BruceMalcolm Gray Bruce, MP is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Gordon. He has been the chairman of the International Development Select Committee since 2005.-Early life:...
, Alistair CarmichaelAlistair CarmichaelAlexander Morrison "Alistair" Carmichael is a Liberal Democrat politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for the Scottish seat of Orkney and Shetland since the 2001 general election.-Early life:...
, Ed DaveyEdward DaveyEdward Jonathan "Ed" Davey is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Kingston and Surbiton since 1997, and in May 2010 was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...
, Tim FarronTim FarronTimothy James Farron is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He is currently Member of Parliament for the constituency of Westmorland and Lonsdale...
, Don Foster, Julia GoldsworthyJulia GoldsworthyJulia Anne Goldsworthy is a Special Adviser in HM Treasury to Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander. She was the Member of Parliament for Falmouth and Camborne from 2005 until she lost her seat by 66 votes to George Eustice, the Conservative candidate in the 2010 general election in...
, Mike Hancock, Nick HarveyNick HarveyNicholas Barton "Nick" Harvey is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He is the Member of Parliament for North Devon and the Minister of State for the Armed Forces.-Early life and education:...
, David Heath, John HemmingJohn Hemming (politician)John Alexander Melvin Hemming is a British politician, the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Yardley and Group Chair of the Liberal Democrats on the city council of Birmingham, England....
, Simon HughesSimon HughesSimon Henry Ward Hughes is a British politician and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats. He is Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark. Until 2008 he was President of the Liberal Democrats...
, Mark HunterMark Hunter (politician)Mark James Hunter is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is the current Member of Parliament for Cheadle.-Education and background:...
, Paul KeetchPaul KeetchPaul Stuart Keetch is an English Liberal Democrat politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Hereford from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
, Norman LambNorman LambNorman Peter Lamb is a British Liberal Democrat politician, and Chief Parliamentary and Political Adviser and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg.He is the Member of Parliament for North Norfolk....
, David LawsDavid LawsDavid Anthony Laws is a British politician. He is Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Yeovil and former Chief Secretary to the Treasury....
, Michael MooreMichael Moore (UK politician)Michael Kevin Moore is a British Liberal Democrat politician, currently the Secretary of State for Scotland in the UK coalition government, and the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk....
, Greg MulhollandGreg MulhollandGregory Thomas Mulholland is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom, and is the Member of Parliament for Leeds North West. He was first elected at the 2005 general election, winning the seat from Labour and was re-elected with an increased majority at the 2010 general election. Before...
, Mark OatenMark OatenMark Oaten is a former British Liberal Democrat politician. He served as the Member of Parliament for Winchester from 1997 to 2010, and was his party's Home Affairs spokesperson from 2003 to 2006...
, Lembit ÖpikLembit ÖpikLembit Öpik is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Montgomeryshire in Wales from 1997 until he lost his seat in the 2010 General Election...
, John PughJohn PughJohn David Pugh is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom. He is Member of Parliament for Southport...
, Alan Reid, Willie RennieWillie RennieWilliam Cowan Rennie MSP is a Scottish politician and current Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.After college, Rennie spent most of his early career as a Liberal Democrat campaigner and official before working as a public relations consultant in the private sector...
, Dan RogersonDan RogersonDaniel John Rogerson is a Cornish Liberal Democrat politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for North Cornwall since the 2005 General election.-Early life:...
, Paul RowenPaul RowenPaul John Rowen is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Rochdale from 2005 until the 2010 general election, when he was defeated by Labour Party candidate Simon Danczuk.-Early life and career:...
, Sir Robert SmithSir Robert Smith, 3rd BaronetSir Robert Hill Smith, 3rd Baronet is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician who has been the Member of Parliament for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine since 1997.-Early life:...
, Jo SwinsonJo SwinsonJo Swinson is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician and Member of Parliament for East Dunbartonshire constituency, a suburban and semi-rural area to the north of Glasgow in Scotland, and is the Deputy Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats...
, Sarah TeatherSarah TeatherSarah Louise Teather is a British Liberal Democrat politician, Member of Parliament for Brent Central, Minister of State at the Department for Education, and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Guantanamo Bay....
, John ThursoJohn Sinclair, 3rd Viscount ThursoJohn Archibald Sinclair, 3rd Viscount Thurso , known as John Thurso, is a Scottish businessman and Liberal Democrat politician...
, Steve WebbSteve WebbSteven John Webb, better known as Steve Webb , is an English Liberal Democrat politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Thornbury & Yate and the Minister of State for Pensions.-Background:...
, Stephen WilliamsStephen Williams (politician)Stephen Roy Williams is a British Liberal Democrat politician who was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Bristol West in the 2005 general election, being re-elected with an increased majority in May 2010...
, Phil WillisPhil WillisGeorge Philip Willis, Baron Willis of Knaresborough is a politician in the United Kingdom. He is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords, and was Member of Parliament for Harrogate and Knaresborough from 1997 until retiring at the 2010 general election...
, Richard Younger-RossRichard Younger-RossRichard Alan Younger-Ross is a politician in England. He was the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Teignbridge from 2001 to 2010, having contested the seat in 1992 and 1997, finally winning in the 2001 election... - Lords: Lord AddingtonDominic Hubbard, 6th Baron AddingtonDominic Bryce Hubbard, 6th Baron Addington is a British politician, one of ninety elected hereditary peers currently sitting in the House of Lords. He is a member of the Liberal Democrats....
, former Lib Dem leader Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-HamdonPaddy AshdownJeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE, PC , usually known as Paddy Ashdown, is a British politician and diplomat....
, Baroness BarkerElizabeth Barker, Baroness BarkerElizabeth Jean Barker, Baroness Barker is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords.Educated at Dalziel High School and the University of Southampton,Barker worked for Age Concern between 1983 and 2007...
, Baroness Bonham-Carter of YarnburyJane Bonham Carter, Baroness Bonham-Carter of YarnburyJane Bonham Carter, Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury is a British Liberal Democrat politician.-Education:Bonham Carter was educated at St...
, Lord BradshawWilliam Bradshaw, Baron BradshawWilliam Peter Bradshaw, Baron Bradshaw , commonly known as Bill Bradshaw, is a British academic and politician...
, Lord Clement-JonesTimothy Clement-Jones, Baron Clement-JonesTimothy Francis Clement-Jones, Baron Clement-Jones CBE, is a Liberal Democrat Peer and their spokesman for Culture, Media and Sport in the House of Lords.-Political career:...
, Baroness Falkner of MargravineKishwer Falkner, Baroness Falkner of MargravineKishwer Falkner, Baroness Falkner of Margravine is a British Liberal Democrat politician and Life Peer. She is Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice in the House of Lords....
, Lord FearnRonnie Fearn, Baron FearnRonald Cyril Fearn, Baron Fearn OBE is a British politician and Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords.He was educated at King George V Grammar School, Southport and had a career in banking. He is also a Sefton Metropolitan Borough councilor and a former Merseyside county councilor...
, Earl of Glasgow DLPatrick Boyle, 10th Earl of GlasgowPatrick Robin Archibald Boyle, 10th Earl of Glasgow DL is a British peer, politician and the current chief of Clan Boyle. The family seat is Kelburn Castle in Ayrshire...
, Lord Holme of CheltenhamRichard Holme, Baron Holme of CheltenhamRichard Gordon Holme, Baron Holme of Cheltenham PC was a British Liberal Democrat politician.Educated at University of Oxford and Harvard Business School, Holme joined the Liberal Party in 1959, and was elected as the party's President in 1980 and 1981...
, Lord Jones of CheltenhamNigel Jones, Baron Jones of CheltenhamNigel David Jones, Baron Jones of Cheltenham is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom.-Early life:...
, Lord Lester of Herne HillAnthony Lester, Baron Lester of Herne HillAnthony Paul Lester, Baron Lester of Herne Hill, QC is a British politician and member of the House of Lords, and a member of the Liberal Democrats....
, Baroness Linklater of ButterstoneVeronica LinklaterVeronica Linklater, Baroness Linklater of Butterstone , is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords. Her career indicates her interests in children’s welfare, education and special needs, and prison reform...
, Baroness LudfordSarah Ludford, Baroness LudfordSarah Ann Ludford, Baroness Ludford is a Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament and a nonvoting member of the House of Lords ....
(also an MEP), Baroness Nicholson of WinterbourneEmma Nicholson, Baroness Nicholson of WinterbourneEmma Harriet Nicholson, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne is a British politician. Formerly the Conservative then Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Torridge and West Devon she is a now life peer, and a former Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament for South East England.-Early...
(also an MEP), Lord RazzallTim Razzall, Baron RazzallEdward Timothy Razzall, Baron Razzall, CBE is a British Liberal Democrat politician.-Early life:Razzall studied at the University of Oxford in the early 1960s, where he also played cricket for the university in 1964....
, Lord Roberts of LlandudnoRoger Roberts, Baron Roberts of LlandudnoRoger Roberts, Baron Roberts of Llandudno is a Welsh Liberal Democrat politician.Roberts was educated at John Bright Grammar School in Llandudno, the University College of North Wales and Handsworth Methodist College, Birmingham...
, Lord Russell-JohnstonRussell Johnston, Baron Russell-JohnstonDavid Russell Russell-Johnston, Baron Russell-Johnston, usually known as Russell Johnston, was a leading Scottish Liberal Democrat politician.-Early life:...
, Baroness Scott of Needham MarketRosalind Scott, Baroness Scott of Needham MarketRosalind Carol "Ros" Scott, Baroness Scott of Needham Market is a British politician who is a member of the House of Lords. Baroness Scott was president of Liberal Democrats between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2010 and was succeeded by Tim Farron-Early life and education:The daughter of...
, Lord Smith of CliftonTrevor Arthur Smith, Baron Smith of CliftonTrevor Arthur Smith, Baron Smith of Clifton Kt is a British politician who is currently the Liberal Democrat spokesman in the House of Lords on Northern Ireland and constitutional affairs...
, Lord Thomas of GresfordMartin Thomas, Baron Thomas of GresfordDonald Martin Thomas, Baron Thomas of Gresford, OBE, QC is a British Liberal Democrat politician.Educated at Grove Park Grammar School, Wrexham, and at Peterhouse, Cambridge University, he graduated with an LLB in Law and an MA in Classics. He practiced as a solicitor in Wrexham from...
, Baroness TongeJenny TongeJennifer Louise Tonge, Baroness Tonge is a politician in the United Kingdom. She was Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Richmond Park in London from 1997 to 2005.-Early life:...
, Lord TylerPaul Tyler, Baron TylerPaul Archer Tyler, Baron Tyler, CBE, DL is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom. He was a Member of Parliament from February to October 1974 and from 1992 to 2005, and now sits in the House of Lords as a life peer....
, Lord Wallace of Tankerness, Baroness WalmsleyJoan Walmsley, Baroness WalmsleyJoan Margaret Walmsley, Baroness Walmsley is a British Liberal Democrat politician. She is currently the party spokesperson on Children, Schools and Families in the House of Lords....
, Baroness Williams of CrosbyShirley Williams, Baroness Williams of CrosbyShirley Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby PC is a British politician and academic. Originally a Labour Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister, she was one of the "Gang of Four" rebels who founded the Social Democratic Party in 1981... - MEPs: Chris DaviesChris DaviesChristopher Graham Davies is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom. He is a former Member of Parliament, and since 1999 he has been a Member of the European Parliament.- Biography :...
, Sarah LudfordSarah Ludford, Baroness LudfordSarah Ann Ludford, Baroness Ludford is a Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament and a nonvoting member of the House of Lords ....
(see above), Bill Newton DunnBill Newton DunnWilliam "Bill" Newton Dunn is a British politician. He is a Member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands for the Liberal Democrats.-Early life:...
, Emma Nicholson (see above), Diana WallisDiana WallisDiana Paulette Wallis is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is a Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber. Wallis was first elected in 1999 and re-elected in 2004 and in 2009....
, Graham WatsonGraham WatsonSir Graham Robert Watson is a European politician from the United Kingdom. He has served as a Member of the European Parliament for South West England since 1994 and was leader of the liberal group in Parliament for seven years between 2002 and 2009.-Early life:Graham Watson was born in Rothesay... - MSPs: Liam McArthurLiam McArthurLiam McArthur MSP is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician and Member of the Scottish Parliament for Orkney.-Background:He was brought up on the Orkney Island of Sanday...
, Tavish ScottTavish ScottTavish Hamilton Scott MSP is a Scottish politician and MSP for Shetland. He was Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats from 2008 to 2011...
, Jim TolsonJim TolsonJim Tolson is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician, and former Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Dunfermline West. He lost his seat to the Scottish National Party's Bill Walker in the 2011 election.-External links:... - AMs: Peter BlackPeter Black (Welsh politician)Peter Black is a Welsh Liberal Democrat politician, and Member of the Welsh Assembly for the South Wales West Region.-Background:...
, Michael GermanMike GermanMichael James German, Baron German, OBE , usually known as Mike German, is a member of the House of Lords and former member of the National Assembly for Wales for the South Wales East Region. He was leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats from 2007–08...
, Kirsty WilliamsKirsty WilliamsVictoria Kirsty Williams is a British politician. She is the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Member of the Welsh Assembly for Brecon and Radnorshire.-Early life:... - Other notable supporters: former MP Richard AllanRichard AllanRichard Beecroft Allan, Baron Allan of Hallam was the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam from the general election of Thursday 2 May 1997 until the dissolution of Parliament on 11 April 2005...
, "former Lord" Andrew PhillipsAndrew Phillips, Baron Phillips of SudburyAndrew Wyndham Phillips, Baron Phillips of Sudbury, OBE is a solicitor and Liberal Democrat politician.-Education and Law Practice:...
, former MP Sir Cyril SmithCyril SmithSir Cyril Smith, MBE, was a British politician who served as Liberal and Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for the constituency of Rochdale from 1972 until his retirement in 1992.-Early life:...
, François BayrouFrançois BayrouFrançois Bayrou is a French centrist politician, president of Union for French Democracy since 1998 and was a candidate in the 2002 and 2007 French presidential elections. In the first round, he received 18.6% of the vote, finishing in 3rd place and therefore was eliminated from the race....
(President of the French political party Mouvement DémocrateDemocratic Movement (France)The Democratic Movement , MoDem) is a centrist, social liberal and pro-European French political party that was founded by centrist politician François Bayrou to succeed his Union for French Democracy and to contest the 2007 legislative election, after his strong showing in the 2007 presidential...
) - Newspapers/Magazines: The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
Chris HuhneChris HuhneChristopher Murray Paul-Huhne, generally known as Chris Huhne is a British politician and cabinet minister, who is the current Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for the Eastleigh constituency in Hampshire...
Supporters included:
- MPs: Lynne FeatherstoneLynne FeatherstoneLynne Choona Featherstone , is a British Liberal Democrat politician, and the Member of Parliament for Hornsey and Wood Green....
(campaign chairwoman) — Tom BrakeTom BrakeThomas Anthony Brake, known as Tom Brake, British Liberal Democrat politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Carshalton and Wallington.-Early life:Tom Brake was born in Melton Mowbray, moving to France when he was eight...
, Annette BrookeAnnette BrookeAnnette Lesley Brooke is a British Liberal Democrat politician. She has been the Member of Parliament for Mid Dorset and North Poole since 2001.-Early life:...
, Sandra GidleySandra GidleySandra Julia Gidley is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom. She was the Member of Parliament for Romsey in Hampshire from 2000 to 2010, when she lost her seat to Conservative MP Caroline Nokes.-Biography:...
, Evan HarrisEvan HarrisEvan Leslie Harris is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Oxford West and Abingdon from 1997 to 2010, losing his seat in the 2010 general election by 176 votes to Conservative Nicola Blackwood....
, Paul HolmesPaul Holmes (politician)Paul Robert Holmes is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Chesterfield, previously held by Tony Benn, from 2001 to 2010.-Early life:...
, Martin HorwoodMartin HorwoodMartin Charles Horwood is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He is the Member of Parliament for the Cheltenham constituency. He is the founder and current Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tribal Peoples.-Early life:He was born in St. Paul’s, Cheltenham, in 1962. His parents...
, David HowarthDavid HowarthDavid Ross Howarth is a British Liberal Democrat politician who was Member of Parliament for Cambridge from 2005 to 2010.- Education and academic career :...
, Susan KramerSusan KramerSusan Veronica Kramer, Baroness Kramer is a British Liberal Democrat politician. She was Member of Parliament for Richmond Park from 2005 to 2010, having been an unsuccessful candidate in the London mayoral election in 2000....
, John LeechJohn Leech (politician)John Sampson Macfarlane Leech is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Manchester Withington since 2005...
, Matthew Taylor, Mark WilliamsMark Williams (politician)Mark Fraser Williams is a British Welsh Liberal Democrat politician and the Member of Parliament for the Ceredigion constituency, a seat he gained from Plaid Cymru in 2005...
, Roger WilliamsRoger Williams (UK politician)Roger Hugh Williams is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Brecon and Radnorshire since the 2001 general election.-Early life:... - Lords: Lord DholakiaNavnit Dholakia, Baron DholakiaNavnit Dholakia, Baron Dholakia OBE PC DL is a British Liberal Democrat politician and the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords. Lord Dholakia is one of the most senior Asian politicians in Britain.-Education:...
, Lord EzraDerek Ezra, Baron EzraDerek Ezra, Baron Ezra MBE is a Liberal Democrat life peer in the United Kingdom House of Lords and former chairman of the National Coal Board...
, Viscount FalklandLucius Cary, 15th Viscount FalklandLucius Edward William Plantagenet Cary, 15th Viscount Falkland is a Liberal Democrat politician and peer. He is the elder son of Lucius Cary, 14th Viscount Falkland and Constance Mary Berry.Cary was educated at Wellington College....
, Lord GreavesTony Greaves, Baron GreavesAnthony Robert Greaves, Baron Greaves is a UK politician. He is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords.Together with Gordon Lishman, Greaves moved the party's famous Community Politics motion...
, Baroness Harris of RichmondAngela Harris, Baroness Harris of RichmondAngela Felicity Harris, Baroness Harris of Richmond DL is a Deputy Speaker in the House of Lords of the United Kingdom. She is the Chair and a Trustee of the Industry and Parliament Trust....
, Lord Livsey of TalgarthRichard Livsey, Baron Livsey of TalgarthRichard Arthur Lloyd Livsey, Baron Livsey of Talgarth CBE was the son of Arthur Norman Livsey and Lilian Maisie . His father was a seacaptain who died in Iraq when Richard was just three years old. He was therefore brought up in a single parent household by his mother, Lilian, who was a local...
, former Social Democratic PartySocial Democratic Party (UK)The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
leader Lord Maclennan of RogartRobert Maclennan, Baron Maclennan of RogartRobert Adam Ross "Bob" Maclennan, Baron Maclennan of Rogart PC is a British Liberal Democrat life peer. He was the last leader of the Social Democratic Party , serving during the negotiations that led to its merger with the Liberal Party in 1988...
, Baroness Miller of Chilthorne DomerSusan Miller, Baroness Miller of Chilthorne DomerSusan Elizabeth Miller, Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords.She married firstly John Miller and secondly Humphrey Temperley, both of whom were active in political life as Liberal Democrats...
, Lord NewbyRichard Newby, Baron Newbythumb|right|250px|Lord Newby in 2001Richard Mark Newby, Baron Newby, OBE , is a British politician. The son of Frank and Kathleen Newby was educated at the Rothwell Grammar School and St Catherine's College, Oxford, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy, politics and economics...
, Baroness NorthoverLindsay Northover, Baroness NorthoverLindsay Patricia Northover, Baroness Northover is a Liberal Democrat British politician and currently a Government Whip in the House of Lords with responsibilities covering health, Law Officers, Ministry of Justice, Wales Office and for Women and Equalities and under the new coalition government,...
, Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove BayMatthew Oakeshott, Baron Oakeshott of Seagrove BayMatthew Alan Oakeshott, Baron Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay , is a British Liberal Democrat politician.-Education:Oakeshott was educated at Charterhouse School, a co-educational independent school in Godalming in Surrey, followed by University College at the University of Oxford, from which he...
, Lord RedesdaleRupert Mitford, 6th Baron RedesdaleRupert Mitford, 6th Baron Redesdale is a British peer and politician. He currently sits in the House of Lords as a life peer, Baron Mitford with the Liberal Democrats.Mitford succeeded to the title in 1991...
, Lord Rodgers of Quarry BankWilliam Rodgers, Baron Rodgers of Quarry BankWilliam Thomas Rodgers, Baron Rodgers of Quarry Bank, PC , usually known as William Rodgers but also often known as Bill Rodgers, was one of the "Gang of Four" of senior British Labour Party politicians who defected to form the Social Democratic Party...
, Lord SharmanColin Sharman, Baron SharmanColin Morven Sharman, Baron Sharman OBE , is the British chairman of Aviva Group and former chairman of KPMG International.He was educated at Bishop Wordsworth's School in Salisbury and qualified as a chartered accountant in 1965...
, former Liberal PartyLiberal Party (UK)The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
leader Lord Steel of AikwoodDavid SteelDavid Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood, KT, KBE, PC is a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as the Leader of the Liberal Party from 1976 until its merger with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the Liberal Democrats...
, Baroness Thomas of WalliswoodSusan Thomas, Baroness Thomas of WalliswoodSusan Petronella Thomas, Baroness Thomas of Walliswood OBE, DL is a British businesswoman and Liberal Democrat politician.-Family background:...
, Lord Thomson of MonifiethGeorge Thomson, Baron Thomson of MonifiethGeorge Morgan Thomson, Baron Thomson of Monifieth, KT, PC, DL, FRSE, was a journalist and British politician belonging to the Labour Party. In the 1980s, he joined the Social Democratic Party. Following the SDP's merger with the Liberal Party, he became a Liberal Democrat and sat as a Liberal... - MEPs: Elspeth AttwoollElspeth AttwoollElspeth Attwooll is a retired Scottish Liberal Democrat politician. She is a former Member of the European Parliament for Scotland....
, Sharon BowlesSharon BowlesSharon Margaret Bowles is a Liberal Democrat politician and Member of the European Parliament for the South East England region of the United Kingdom...
, Andrew DuffAndrew DuffAndrew Duff OBE is a Liberal Democrat politician, president of the Union of European Federalists, and a Member of the European Parliament for the East of England region of the UK....
, Liz LynneLiz LynneElizabeth Lynne, known as Liz Lynne, is a British politician, and has been a Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands for the Liberal Democrats since her election at the 1999 European election... - MSPs: Robert BrownRobert Brown (Scottish politician)Robert E. Brown is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician and former MSP for Glasgow Region.-Career:A graduate of University of Aberdeen, he was Depute Procurator Fiscal of Dumbarton 1972-1974 and has since been a partner & consultant with a Glasgow firm of solicitors...
, Ross FinnieRoss FinnieRoss Finnie is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician and former Member of the Scottish Parliament. He is a former Minister for the Environment and Rural Development in the Scottish Executive, and Member of the Scottish Parliament for the West of Scotland region...
, Jim HumeJim HumeJim Hume MSP is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician and Member of the Scottish Parliament for the South of Scotland region since 2007.-Background:...
, John Farquhar MunroJohn Farquhar MunroJohn Farquhar Munro is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician, and was the MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West from 1999 until his retirement in 2011....
, Alison McInnesAlison McInnesAlison McInnes MSP is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician, and Member of the Scottish Parliament for the North East Scotland Region...
, Hugh O'Donnell, Mike Pringle, Jeremy PurvisJeremy PurvisJeremy Purvis is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician, and was MSP for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale from 2003 to 2011.-Background:...
, Mike RumblesMike RumblesMike Rumbles is a former Scottish Liberal Democrat politician, and was MSP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine until defeated at the 2011 election in the successor constituency of Aberdeenshire West.-Background:...
, Margaret Smith, Jamie StoneJamie StoneJames "Jamie" Stone is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician. He was a member of the Scottish Parliament for the constituency of Caithness, Sutherland, and Easter Ross, which is the northern-most mainland Scotland constituency and one of the largest constituencies in Britain... - AMs: Mick BatesMick Bates (politician)Mick Bates is an Independent Liberal Democrat politician. He was Member of the National Assembly for Wales for Montgomeryshire between 1999 and 2011.-Background:...
, Eleanor BurnhamEleanor BurnhamEleanor Burnham is a Welsh Liberal Democrat politician, and was a Member of the Welsh Assembly for the North Wales Regional Constituency until May 2011.-Background:...
, Jenny Randerson - Other notable supporters: parliamentary candidate Sal BrintonSal BrintonSarah Virginia Brinton, Baroness Brinton is a member of the British Liberal Democrats. She contested the Watford constituency at the 2005 and 2010 General Elections...
, Anna Werrin (campaign manager; former Head of the Leader's Office to Charles Kennedy), Candy Piercy (on the party's Federal Executive, President of the Liberal Democrats Agents Association), Duncan Brack (Chair of the Federal Conference Committee), Polly ToynbeePolly ToynbeePolly Toynbee is a British journalist and writer, and has been a columnist for The Guardian newspaper since 1998. She is a social democrat and broadly supports the Labour Party, while urging it in many areas to be more left-wing...
(newspaper columnist) - Newspapers/Magazines: New StatesmanNew StatesmanNew Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....