Independent on Sunday: police call in Audit Commission to investigate Abrahams planning application after talking to Chris Huhne December 9, 2007
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There are about five days left to go in this leadership election, and the party is split in two – between those who are calling for a longer election, and those who’d like the whole thing to be over now!
A look at Google News suggests the Sunday papers fall in to the latter category. They haven’t commented much on the leadership election, but Chris has popped up in a few places.
Today’s Independent on Sunday says:
Durham Police last week opened talks with the Audit Commission, the spending watchdog, over the circumstances under which the scheme was granted planning permission, after a lengthy meeting with Liberal Democrat leadership contender Chris Huhne.
Chris has made an appearance in the letters page of Scotland’s Sunday Herald:
Constitutional commissions for Scotland are suddenly in fashion. In the past 10 days, three leading politicians – Wendy Alexander, Chris Huhne and Annabel Goldie – have called for some kind of commission to be set up. They are not alone.
In Wales on Sunday, Chris has become the benchmark of a politician with media presence!
No-one has demanded Mr Hain’s resignation. Not even Chris Huhne, the publicity-hungry candidate for the Lib Dem leadership. Only some of the more excitable members of the blogging world have demanded he quit.
Five days to go…
Telegraph: Chris Huhne is “increasingly the favourite among the grassroots” December 8, 2007
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There’s a good interview with Chris in today’s Telegraph, which opens:
The next Liberal Democrat leader could become the most powerful politician in the country. It’s hard to believe but if there is a hung parliament he may be the kingmaker.
So the leadership contest next week is crucial.
Guardian reports contest wide open November 23, 2007
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A Guardian survey of Lib Dem members has convinced the paper that the Lib Dem leadership contest is still wide open. They asked activists leaving a hustings in Cambridge, Duncan Borrowman notes. Obviously, this is not a very reliable poll, but Mike Smithson reports that a YouGov poll of members is underway.
“Huhne’s got momentum” — Politics Show’s Littlewood November 18, 2007
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“As the Liberal Democrat leadership campaign enters its crucial week, there’s a feeling that some momentum is building behind Chris Huhne,” says Mark Littlewood, Politics Show pundit on the leadership race and former party Head of Press.
Littlewood’s piece can be read in full here, but this is his opinion on the Question Time debate:
Huhne seemed more relaxed from the outset and was sure-footed on policy questions.
The clash over replacing the Trident nuclear weapons system – one of the few areas of “clear yellow water” between the two candidates – brought Chris the biggest cheer of the night when he finished an impassioned plea for downsizing Britain’s nuclear arsenal by saying that the Iraq war shows that it is not always in our national interest to march to the White House’s tune.
There’s been a shift in the mood amongst the Westminster media, with one journalist telling me that if it had been a football match, the score would have been Huhne 3 Clegg 1.
Observer: “Huhne ‘closing’ in Lib Dem race” November 18, 2007
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Today’s Observer reports that Chris Huhne’s campaign is reaching a point of criticial momentum, just before ballot papers are sent out:
Until last week, Huhne, 53, the party’s environment spokesman, was thought to be trailing well behind his younger rival, home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg. But several of the party’s MPs privately believe the two are now running neck and neck, after Huhne concentrated on using the traditional election methods of local political networks and telephone canvassing to win more votes.
The former MEP believes his decision to ignore ‘the Westminster bubble’, as he describes it, and rely on grassroots support built up over years of attending weekend meetings, has finally paid off.
Question Time available to view online November 16, 2007
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So, if you preferred to watch The Mighty Boosh, or were just elsewhere last night and missed it, the Question Time debate between Chris and Nick Clegg can now be seen online on the BBC site.
Chris’s website redesigned and relaunched October 28, 2007
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Now he’s an official candidate, the Chris2Win website has been given a new lick of paint and a new design. There’s also new content there, including statements from Welsh MPs Roger Williams (Brecon and Radnor) and Mark Williams (Ceredigion).
Roger says:
I’m pleased to say that I will be supporting Chris Huhne. I feel that he will be a champion of liberal values and provide strong leadership with a sense of purpose; He will make it clear to people what the Liberal Democrats stand for and will make a fairer and more democratic Britain.
Chris has experience of the world outside of politics and is therefore able to relate to the real aspirations of the British public.
And Mark adds:
Chris Huhne has led the Lib Dem challenge on the Green Agenda. As Shadow DEFRA Secretary he’s taken a tough line, a clear line, and a principled line – qualities we need in our leadership. It’s earned him respect in Parliament and amongst the Green lobby throughout the country.
But Chris isn’t just a political and intellectual heavyweight; I’ve also had first hand experience of his effective campaigning style in my own rural constituency. Ceredigion farmers, residents concerned about flooding, our student community – all meeting Chris for the first time, felt inspired and confident that they were being listened to. This is Chris the effective communicator, on the ground and across the media.
Chris says party must pass ‘Hampshire Test’ October 23, 2007
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Speaking to the Daily Echo, Chris has said that the challenge he and other Lib Dems have faced against the Tories in Hampshire is good preparation for the future battles we’ll have to fight. He points to Hampshire – where his Eastleigh constituency lies – as one place in the south where our share of the vote has grown and the Tory advance has been fought off.
He also used the interview to talk about policy saying that his experience of creating his own business showed that the Liberal Democrats need to be the party that encourages success by reducing red tape and cutting taxes:
He said: “I have always been in the private sector and I started a business and built it up. I understand all the difficulties self-employed business people have, because I have been there and done that.”
A Liberal Democrat party under his leadership, he said, would stress the importance of “cutting red tape and keeping the tax burden on people striving for success as low as possible”.
Chris pledges Charles top job in Shadow Cabinet October 22, 2007
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In his Question & Answer session with The Independent’s readers, Chris Huhne has said Charles Kennedy should return to a front-line position in the shadow cabinet.
“The party needs Charles to come back in a key front line role as soon as possible. He is far too big a talent for him to sit on the subs’ bench rather than play on the field,” said Chris.
With all the talk of similar policies, this is at least one issue on which Nick and Chris have set out different stalls. The Clegg campaign want Kennedy to be part of a “council of greybeards”, advising the leader alongside David Steel, Paddy Ashdown and Shirley Williams.
Watch Chris and Nick speak at the Newbury hustings October 22, 2007
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Thanks to the good folk at Newbury Today, we can point to not only an account of Saturday’s hustings in the town but some video too.
Chris gets truckin’ October 22, 2007
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Chris is the subject of the Independent’s ‘You Ask The Questions’ feature today, revealing – amongst other things – that his favourite Grateful Dead track is Truckin’.
Chris on Sunday TV October 21, 2007
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Both of the BBC’s Sunday political shows naturally featured the leadership election, and if you missed them, they’re available to watch online.
You can see the Andrew Marr show here and The Politics Show here. There’s also a transcript of the section about the leadership on Andrew Marr available here and Mark Littlewood’s analysis of the candidates for The Politics Show can be read here.
Chris writes in the Telegraph, and other press October 21, 2007
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Chris has an article in today’s Telegraph – End the reign of the Tory Twins – pointing out how we as a party differ from Labour and the Tories. There’s coverage of the article in the main news section of the paper as well as a comment piece from Charles Kennedy.
Elsewhere, the Times goes back to the 70s to get an article about Chris, the Observer has coverage of yesterday’s hustings as well as commentary from Andrew Rawnsley. BBC News also has coverage of the hustings, as well as a video report from the event (click on the ‘watch’ link in the top right of the pae.
The first hustings – your views October 20, 2007
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I’m going out for the day, so won’t be able to see them, but the first unofficial hustings of the campaign take place this afternoon in Newbury. If you’re there, or saw them on television, what did you think of them? How did Chris do? Will it affect how you vote in the election?
And as a side-note, someone from one of the press teams (either the party or one of the campaigns) is doing a good job. When I looked initially, this story was just one of the ones on the sidebar, but now it’s the lead story on the main page. The same thing happened with Chris’s campaign launch on Wednesday which started as a smaller story, then became the lead, so well done to whoever (which, of course, could just be a sub-editor at BBC News) was responsible.
Chris on This Week October 19, 2007
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Chris appeared on BBC One’s This Week programme last night. If you didn’t see it, you can watch it online by clicking here.
