BBC NEWS | Politics | Embattled Kennedy quits as leader
Martin Turner, Chair of Liberal-Democrat Christian Forum said today: “As LDCF, we deeply regret the chain of events which has led to the resignation of Charles Kennedy as party leader. Notwithstanding the personal problems that he recently made public, Charles has led our party well and ably since his election. Among his other achievements he has delivered our two greatest election successes in political living memory.
“We applaud his dignity over the last week. Although we regret the events which led to it, we recognise the imperatives which led him to step down, and applaud his dignity in doing so.
“We also recognise the strength of purpose of Menzies Campbell and Mark Oaten in their earlier declaration that they would not stand against Charles Kennedy. We particularly applaud the way in which Simon Hughes stuck to his guns, putting his role as party president above his personal aspirations, and providing a model for effective, principled service within the party.
“LDCF will not be giving its backing to any of the candidates who will now emerge. This would be completely outside our remit and would not assist the process. However, we will encourage our members to compare the track records and ambitions of all candidates from a Christian point of view.”
