Tag Archives: chris huhne

Opinion: The good, the bad and the ugly of the Lib Dems

By Scott Hill | Published 10th February 2012 - 9:41 am

This week has been something of a mixed bag for the Liberal Democrats. Aside from getting over the fact we have lost one of our most respected and feared heavyweights in Chris Huhne, we have been forced to accept that a serious reassessment of our position within government is required and necessary.

Needless to say, the ceaseless commentariat and Westminster gossips are not helping matters. There have been three stories – all different in topic and angle – that have focused attention on the junior coalition partner in recent …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged Liberal Left, parliamentary boundary review | 34 Comments

Opinion: Calm Down, Dears!

By Zadok Day | Published 7th February 2012 - 4:57 pm

It’s a great shame that so many Liberal Democrats have reacted to the political downfall of Chris Huhne by bashing his successor. Ed Davey is an immensely capable minister and will do a wonderful job in his new position. Sadly, some have chosen this news to complain because a woman wasn’t promoted instead of a man. Gender balance is an issue that seems to divide opinion a great deal in the online world, for some reason, despite being hardly as controversial in the real world, where the principle is generally accepted that talent should be rewarded rather than the accident …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged david cameron, edward davey, gender | 46 Comments

Ed Davey’s approach to green issues: they make for better growth

By Mark Pack | Published 6th February 2012 - 6:13 pm

Ed Davey’s choice of words when presenting a political case is always worth close attention as he is a man very interested in the details and nuances of political messaging. (He was for a while under Ming Campbell’s leadership in charge of refashioning the party’s messaging.)

So what to make of his initial description of his role in charge at the Department of Environment and Climate Change? He said,

Posted in News | Also tagged ed davey | 4 Comments

Opinion: Chris Huhne – innocent or guilty doesn’t seem to matter

By Rebecca Taylor | Published 6th February 2012 - 9:54 am

Chris Huhne’s resignation last week not only deprives the Government of a strong voice for Liberalism, but also this country and the international community of a voice for the common good, in the fight against climate change. We are treading the weary road of a political resignation got over ahead of time, to save even more trouble later.

Such ‘pre-emptive resignations’ are a slur on the legal system. They render its actions useless, by defying the principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty’. This principle can be abused by criminals anxious to escape justice, but it is a cornerstone of the law …

Posted in Op-eds | 19 Comments

Farron on Davey: An outstanding environmentalist

By Paul Walter | Published 6th February 2012 - 8:54 am

In case you missed it, Tim Farron’s interview on yesterday’s Andrew Marr Show is here in full on BBC iPlayer (starting at 35:43) or here in a shorter clip.

Standing, well wrapped up, in snowy Cumbria, Tim is in typically robust form. He pays tribute to Chris Huhne and says he “wants and expects” him to be back in government soon. He says that the LibDems are concentrating on being “collegiate not destructive” in coalition by ‘behaving like grown-ups’. He pays warm tribute to Ed Davey’s environmentalist credentials and covers a wide range of policy issues.

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Posted in News | Also tagged tim farron | 5 Comments

The fallout from Chris Huhne’s resignation

By Mark Pack | Published 4th February 2012 - 6:10 pm

I’ve been busy with the media yesterday and today giving my take on Chris Huhne’s resignation, so here are the two main highlights if you missed them:

The Lib Dem Voice survey results I mention are covered in the piece Which four Liberal Democrat ministers have most improved their standings in 2011? and for more on why I rate Ed Davey’s record see Community Buying: a welcome move from Ed Davey (an approach very relevant to his new post) and Ed Davey: someone getting the messaging right.

Helped by having known for a long time …

Posted in News | Also tagged diversity, ed davey, gender balance, jenny willott, jo swinson, nick clegg | 2 Comments

How Lib Dem members rated Chris Huhne and Ed Davey before the reshuffle

By Stephen Tall | Published 4th February 2012 - 10:45 am

LibDemVoice is currently conducting one of our regular surveys of party members to find out views on a range of issues. One of the questions we always ask is how satisfied Lib Dems are with key figures in the party. Though the survey is still open, a couple are now out-of-date — specifically, what members’ opinions were of Chris Huhne and Ed Davey in the jobs they occupied until Friday. So here are their results…

Posted in LDV Members poll | Also tagged ed davey | 10 Comments

New Lib Dem appointments to government

By Prateek Buch | Published 3rd February 2012 - 1:39 pm

According to the No. 10 website, Ed Davey MP will replace Chris Huhne as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with Norman Lamb to replace Davey in his role at the Department for Business.

Completing the changes, Jenny Willott becomes an Assisstant Government Whip, and Jo Swinson replaces Norman Lamb as Nick Clegg’s PPS.

Congratulations to those Lib Dem MPs taking up new positions in government.

Posted in News | Also tagged ed davey, jenny willott, jo swinson, norman lamb | 6 Comments

Chris Huhne: the straight talking fighter faces his biggest battle

By Stephen Tall | Published 3rd February 2012 - 11:54 am

It was in May 2011 that the allegation first surfaced that, eight years previously, Chris Huhne had allegedly asked his then wife Vicky Pryce to take the rap for speeding points that would have seen the aspirant Lib Dem MP for Eastleigh lose his licence. It’s a charge Chris has strenuously denied ever since, always saying he welcomes the police investigation as a chance to clear his name. When asked whether he would resign, he has previously only ever had to answer hypothetically, as here when questioned by Andrew Neil:

(Available on YouTube here.)

Posted in News | Also tagged featured | 52 Comments

Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce to be charged with perverting the course of justice

By Caron Lindsay | Published 3rd February 2012 - 10:13 am

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, has just announced that Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne and his former wife VIcky Pryce will be charged with perverting the course of justice.

They will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 16th February.

It is expected that Chris Huhne will now step down from the Cabinet.

Keir Starmer emphasised that Huhne and Pryce have the right to a fair trial and that nothing should be said or reported that could influence that.

He said:

All the available evidence, including the new material, has now been carefully considered by the CPS and we have concluded

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Posted in News | Also tagged cabinet, cps, dpp, vicky pryce | 9 Comments

In other news…

By Stephen Tall | Published 29th January 2012 - 4:45 pm

Here’s a round-up of stories we haven’t had time to cover on the site this past week…

Lib Dem MP Tessa Munt is taking on sexism in the BBC: ‘The BBC must ensure there are more women presenters and executives working on its radio network if it is to justify its licence fee, MP Tessa Munt said today after she found that in some cases there were fewer female voices than 25 years ago.’

The FT reports how Danny Alexander, Lib Dem Treasury chief secretary, has highlighted a crackdown on high pay in the public sector: Danny has

…

Posted in News | Also tagged andrew stunell, danny alexander, nick clegg, tessa munt | Leave a comment

Telegraph apologises for false slurs on Huhne and offensive Cristina Odone article

By Stephen Tall | Published 21st January 2012 - 10:25 am

The Daily Telegraph has been forced into a humiliating climbdown after making what it now admits were false claims about Lib Dem cabinet minister Chris Huhne.

The paper had splashed on allegations that it was Huhne who had leaked the letter from Michael Gove suggesting taxpayers might make a gift of a new royal yacht to the Queen in order to embarrass the education secretary. It’s unclear what evidence the paper had, if any, because Huhne’s involvement was swiftly denied by the Guardian journalist responsible for exposing Mr Gove’s, erm, politically courageous proposal. Perhaps, perish the thought, they just …

Posted in News | Also tagged cristina odone, daily telegraph, media, michael gove | 6 Comments

Opinion: Water – time to see it as a national interest?

By Andrew Wigley | Published 20th January 2012 - 4:01 pm

News that one of China’s leading wealth funds has taken a 9 percent stake in Thames Water is significant. The investment comes quick on the heels of a Gulf sovereign wealth fund taking a similar size stake in Thames Water’s parent company, Kemble.

It’s a measure of confidence in Britain’s infrastructure technology and role in the world as a safe haven for long term investment crows George Osborne. Liberal Democrats may be inclined to take a different view.

What Osborne fails to mention is that because of increased water-scarcity throughout the world – including the UK – water is set …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged china, invest, utilities, vince cable, water | 7 Comments

And the most-mentioned Lib Dems of 2011 were…

By Stephen Tall | Published 31st December 2011 - 7:55 am

Two Lib Dem ministers made it into the top 10 of most-mentioned politicians in the national print media in 2011. Not surprisingly, one was Nick Clegg, the Deputy PM; the other was Chris Huhne, energy and climate change secretary.

Here’s the graphic which shows them placed 4th and 10th respectively:

Two Lib Dems also made it into the list of top 10 backbenchers who appeared in the national print media in 2011. Ming Campbell and David Laws popped up at 9th and 10th respectively (42nd and …

Posted in News | Also tagged david laws, ming campbell, nick clegg | 2 Comments

Which Lib Dem minister had the worst year? Find out who tied for first place among party members…

By Stephen Tall | Published 30th December 2011 - 6:45 pm

Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 564 party members responded, and we are publishing the full results here over several days.

Huhne and Clegg tie for the award neither would want to win

LDV asked: In your opinion, which Lib Dem government minister has had the worst year?

Unusually for our Voice surveys, this question allowed an unprompted, free-text response, which 385 of our respondents rose to. And here’s what you told us:

…

Posted in LDV Members poll | Also tagged nick clegg | 5 Comments

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Huhne and Clegg tie for the award neither would want to win

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