MARK OATEN pulled out of the race to lead the Liberal Democrats yesterday after admitting that he had failed to gather any support in Parliament other than that of his campaign manager.
Just one MP, Lembit Opik, had actively backed him to be leader. The remaining six MPs who offered to nominate him did so to ensure that party members had a choice of candidates, but made clear that they would not be supporting him.
Similarly, in the Lords just one Lib Dem peer, Baroness Ludford, had backed Mr Oaten. While not constitutionally important, it revealed how his campaign had struggled to take off. Mr Oaten refused to endorse another candidate at this stage, although he is thought most likely to vote for Sir Menzies Campbell.
His decision to quit came as Sir Menzies further strengthened his own campaign with a smoothly orchestrated official launch surrounded by several of the party’s bright young MPs, describing himself as a team captain or coach.
Mr Oaten was frank about his reasons, saying: “It has become clear to me that I cannot get a level of support amongst Members of Parliament that I think is necessary if you are going to lead this party.”
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He further admitted that another factor was the row a day earlier over the leaking of e-mails showing how Charles Kennedy, whom Mr Oaten served as parliamentary private secretary, was helping to find MPs prepared to nominate him to stand. The former leader’s office denied that Mr Kennedy was taking sides in the contest, saying that he wished to give members a choice.
Sir Menzies showed some of the fighting spirit that critics had said was lacking in the early days of his campaign as he declared his readiness to fight David Cameron for the liberal centre ground of British politics.
“Bring him on, bring him on,” Sir Menzies urged, in a combative interview on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. “Is this a liberal? I think not. And age or being dated is not about physical age. It is about freshness, it is about openness of mind. I am much keener on an open mind than I am on open-necked shirts.”
His campaign launch later at a Westminster restaurant was devoted not to policy, which will be the subject of a manifesto next week, but to presenting him as an authoritative figure and team leader. “My role would be as leader, a captain and coach, a bridge to the future. I will seek to deliver our liberal message with renewed credibility, authority and unity.”
In the meantime, Simon Hughes, who made a campaign visit to Dunfermline and West Fife, where a parliamentary by-election takes place on February 9, announced the support of three more MPs: Phil Willis, Paul Rowen and Mike Hancock. Also backing him are the Lib Dem MSPs Robert Brown, Mike Pringle and Mike Rumbles, plus the former MPs David Rendel and Sir Cyril Smith.
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Chris Huhne, the third candidate, who visited Hackney, East London, yesterday, has the support of 15 Lib Dem peers and several of the new intake of MPs. The peers include several of the old SDP politicians including Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank, Lord Taverne, Lord Maclennan of Rogart and Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay, plus Lord Clement-Jones, who chaired Mr Hughes’s London mayoralty campaign.
The best known former SDP peer, Baroness Williams of Crosby, is backing Sir Menzies.