Stephen Tall

Nominations close, and it’s official: Lib Dem leadership contest is two-horse race

By | Wed 31st October 2007 - 7:15 pm

Nominations for MPs wishing to succeed Ming Campbell as Liberal Democrat leader closed today at 4.00 pm. And, as expected, just two candidates – Nick Clegg and Chris Huhne – have thrown their hats into the ring.

There’s good coverage on both the BBC and The Guardian websites. Channel 4 News has published a pretty facile 5-minute guide here. And Nick Clegg answers Daily Telegraph readers’ questions here.

The party’s official coverage, including hustings information, is on the main Liberal Democrat website.

Meanwhile, leading liberal think-tank CentreForum has today published a briefing paper setting out ‘10 questions for the next Lib Dem leader’. (You can download the PDF file here.) The preamble states:

Nearly two years ago, CentreForum set out the key policy challenges facing the incoming leader. Menzies Campbell deserves credit for driving policy reform in a number of these areas, most notably on tax and the environment. However, the process of re-positioning the party on major issues, such as education and health, is far from complete. at the same time, the policy debate has moved on: for example, the party’s opposition to the Iraq war is no longer as electorally potent as it was in 2005. in these areas the party’s approach to policy needs to catch up with changing political circumstances. Above all, the new leader must achieve something that Campbell failed to do – set out a coherent vision of a liberal Britain which appeals to voters who view themselves as ‘liberal’ but who do not vote Liberal Democrat.

Please use the comments thread to alert LDV readers to any other leadership stories.

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This entry was posted in Leadership Election and News.
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