Ming 'irritated' after quitting as Lib Dems leader

Sir Menzies Campbell said today he felt “irritated and frustrated” after quitting as Liberal Democrat leader.

He continued to dismiss questions about his age as a media obsession and insisted he had got his party ready for a general election.

But he said Gordon Brown’s last-minute decision against holding an autumn election had prompted a stream of negative stories about his own leadership which was holding the Lib Dems back.

Sir Menzies’ first media appearance since his dramatic resignation yesterday came as nominations opened for a new leader and attentions began to turn to his successor.

But a series of potential candidates, chief among them home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg and environment spokesman Nick Huhne, were still refusing to declare their hands this evening.

Asked how he felt after his dramatic resignation yesterday evening, Sir Menzies told the BBC: “Irritated and frustrated.

“Irritated because of a quite extraordinary concentration on trivia which seems to surround leadership; people write articles about what kind of socks I wear.

“Frustrated at not getting the opportunity to lead our party in a general election, where I think our policies and our principles and our values would be right at the centre of the political agenda.”

On his decision finally to step down yesterday despite earlier insisting he would lead the party into the next election, he added: “There were seven consecutive days in which there were seven consecutive stories or reviews about my age and it became very clear to me it was going to be very hard to get out from under that.”

There have been bitter recriminations among senior Lib Dems today about the terms of his departure, but Sir Menzies said nobody had told him to his face he had to go.

“I had no sense that there were people wanting to move against me,” he said.

“If I had decided to go on and anyone had tried to move against me then I would have dealt with them pretty sharply. This was my decision. I took this decision.

“This was my conclusion, was based upon my assessment and also based upon my understanding of what my responsibility to the party has got to be.”

Earlier, prominent Lib Dem MP Mike Hancock criticised the treatment of Sir Menzies by colleagues as “absolutely despicable”.

He blamed “a right shower who were stirring it behind his back, didn’t have the guts to come forward and spell it out to his face or even to the parliamentary party”.

Reports suggested Sir Menzies’ allies were pointing the finger at supporters of Mr Huhne, one of the front runners to replace him.

There have been persistent questions about his performance, the focus being on his age – 66 – with an election up to two-and-a-half years away.

At the same time, the Lib Dems’ support has slumped to just 11%, squeezed by a resurgent Conservative Party and Labour’s “Brown Bounce” over the summer.

Former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown disclosed today that he had been about to warn Sir Menzies that he faced a struggle if he tried to continue. The two men had been due to meet today.

But he added: “He took his own decision in his own time. I think he went on his terms when he believed he had completed his job.”

Lib Dem peer Baroness Williams said: “I think, quite honestly, what happened is that Ming had to bear with an awful lot of ageism, a lot of people going on and on about his age.”

Potential candidates for the leadership vacancy were today keeping their counsel over whether they would in fact run, although a number of hats are expected to be thrown into the ring.

Nominations opened today ahead of a ballot of all party members, the results of which will be declared in the week beginning December 16.

Mr Huhne refused to be drawn on his plans and Mr Clegg, the bookies’ favourite, said he wanted to talk to friends before making a decision.

On the left of the party, Steve Webb said he was considering a bid and would make a decision “probably later in the week”.

Mr Webb, the MP in charge of producing the party’s next general election manifesto, said he expected three or four challengers.

Stand-in leader Vince Cable, the party’s Treasury spokesman, declined to rule himself out.

“Who goes forward is up to the parliamentary party,” he said.

Birmingham Yardley MP John Hemming – a former deputy leader of Birmingham City Council – also announced that he was “taking soundings”.

Sir Menzies said he would not step down as an MP and intended to defend his seat at the next general election and appeared to keep open the option of a job with the Prime Minister.

While declining to answer “hypothetical questions”, he added: “I would like to go on contributing.”