Mersey MP leaps to defence of Lib Dems leader

Sep 21 2007

MERSEY MP John Pugh launched a close-of- conference attack on shadowy advisers who are preventing the public from seeing the real Sir Menzies Campbell.

The Southport MP criticised attempts to portray the 66-year-old leader as younger than his years – pointing to the decision to sign him up on the website Facebook.

Sir Menzies’s advisers – Mr Pugh singled out ex-MP Archie, now Lord, Kirkwood – also seemed to be apologising for the leader’s age, he added.

Mr Pugh, a health spokesman, said: “I don’t think Ming has been as well advised as he might be. Some of the people around him are too cautious.

“Also, putting him on (website) Facebook and surrounding him with young, female members of the party is not the best way for him to come across.

“It’s meant the real Ming has not come through. He is a highly- intelligent, very sharp and a thoughtful politician, but some people looking at the media coverage don’t get that impression.”

Mr Pugh, who backed Sir Menzies for the leadership last year, insisted he would easily survive this week’s frenetic speculation about his position.

And he pointed to policy initiatives - greener taxes, tackling inequality and, in his own portfolio, elected NHS trust boards - as evidence that the Lib Dems were winning the battle of ideas.

But he warned: “Ming has got to let a lot more of his real personality come through, rather than succumb to these supposedly-clever PR techniques.”