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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Kennedy 'unlikely to run again' | Kennedy 'unlikely to run again' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy has told the BBC it is "highly unlikely" that he will seek to succeed Sir Menzies Campbell in the job. | Former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy has told the BBC it is "highly unlikely" that he will seek to succeed Sir Menzies Campbell in the job. |
| Mr Kennedy, who said he was "gratified" by messages of support, did not flatly rule out running for the job, but said it was not part of his "game plan". | Mr Kennedy, who said he was "gratified" by messages of support, did not flatly rule out running for the job, but said it was not part of his "game plan". |
| Chris Huhne and Nick Clegg are the early frontrunners for the job. | Chris Huhne and Nick Clegg are the early frontrunners for the job. |
| Mr Kennedy, who quit as Lib Dem leader last year, said "thousands" of possible supporters had been in touch. | Mr Kennedy, who quit as Lib Dem leader last year, said "thousands" of possible supporters had been in touch. |
| 'Never say never' | 'Never say never' |
| Asked on BBC Two's The Daily Politics whether he would bid to return to the top job, he replied: "I think it's highly unlikely, to be honest." | |
| He added: "You should never say never in politics, but as close to never as you can get." | He added: "You should never say never in politics, but as close to never as you can get." |
| Mr Kennedy was Liberal Democrat leader from 1999 to 2006, when he resigned following the revelation that he had a drink problem. | Mr Kennedy was Liberal Democrat leader from 1999 to 2006, when he resigned following the revelation that he had a drink problem. |
| He said he had received messages of support from "all over the place" since Sir Menzies resigned on Monday, and wanted to reply to them first "out of courtesy". | |
| Mr Kennedy insisted he had no knowledge as to whether Sir Menzies had "a knife in his back or not", and said he believed the situation would be sorted out quickly. | |
| He added: "After the initial adrenalin that surrounds a major event like this, things do quite rapidly calm down. | |
| "With 24-hour news... the story moves on with the media." | |
| Mr Kennedy also said: "I didn't think there'd be a leadership vacancy in the Lib Dems in this parliament, and certainly not to contest one, I'm quite happy with the role I've got." | |
| Mr Huhne, the party's environment spokesman, is expected to announce his candidacy on Wednesday. | Mr Huhne, the party's environment spokesman, is expected to announce his candidacy on Wednesday. |
| Mr Clegg, the home affairs spokesman, and Steve Webb, who is writing the party's manifesto, have both said they are considering their position. | |
| Treasury spokesman and acting leader Vince Cable has ruled himself out of the contest. Richmond Park MP Susan Kramer has also ruled herself out. | Treasury spokesman and acting leader Vince Cable has ruled himself out of the contest. Richmond Park MP Susan Kramer has also ruled herself out. |