There was always going to be a lot of warmth in the room when Norman Lamb appears on stage to give his speech to Liberal Democrat conference this morning His actions in government to transform mental health and care services touch every single one of us. If we don’t need these services ourselves, someone we know does and he has made life easier for so many people.

A story in the Mirror today lays bare some of the details of the personal pain that lies behind his determination to build a mental health system that makes sense and works for people. We in the LDV team are struggling to see the public interest in publishing such a story about a very private matter about the health of Norman’s son, Archie. We particularly question the rather lurid headline and the inference that Norman was in any way worried about his own career. His own words are pretty clear to me that it’s Archie’s career that they were worried about. Norman has spoken to the Mirror and it’s his words we quote here:

He says: “I have talked openly and publicly that our family has been touched by mental ill health but I haven’t, because I have to protect his interests, said anything about Archie’s situation.”

He was diagnosed at the age of 15 with obsessive compulsive disorder and has been on medication ever since.

“He’s carried a heavy burden with his ill health. He wants to be open about his mental health as this is the source of the problem. We have had a very traumatic 10 years in many ways.

“He’s had amazing success in the music business and he’s also had very dark periods and that led to him drinking too much and, as we understand it, getting into bad company and drugs.”

But Mr Lamb insists Archie – who discovered Tinchy Stryder as a young music producer – is now clean.

“We are immensely proud he has escaped from that. He’s rebuilt his career and is doing very well – this is what is so tragic about this blackmail.”