Lord Oakeshott quits Lib Dems and warns of election disaster
Lib Dem peer quits saying that Clegg must be replaced as party leader
Liberal Democrat peer Lord Oakeshott is to quit the party and take a leave of absence from the House of Lords in protest at the leadership of Nick Clegg, warning that the party is "heading for disaster".
He said that Clegg had turned the Lib Dems into a party with "no roots, no principles and no values".
In a statement, Oakeshott said he had reached his decision "with a heavy heart" but added that he could no longer continue. "I am sure the party is heading for disaster if it keeps Nick Clegg; and I must not get in the way of the many brave Liberal Democrats fighting for change," he said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Lord Oakeshott commissioned and paid for an ICM poll, which concluded that the Lib Dems would actually manage to pick up seats in the next general election if they replaced Nick Clegg with Vince Cable "or other figures" as leader. The survey also suggested that the party would lose the four seats where the polling took place - Sheffield Hallam, Cambridge, Redcar, and Wells - if it did not change course.
The research showed that "we must change the leader to give Liberal Democrat MPs their best chance to win in 2015", Lord Oakeshott said.
Answering questions following a speech in London earlier today, Clegg said it was unacceptable that Lord Oakshott had spent money undermining his own party. "I think it is totally unacceptable... that a senior member of the party, far from actually going out trying to win votes was spending money and time seeking to undermine the fortunes of the party."
The Times notes that the Deputy Prime Minister "didn't take an opportunity to absolve [Vince] Cable from all knowledge of the poll". Oakeshott and Cable are longstanding political allies, although Cable has tried to distance himself from the peer since news of the poll emerged.
The severity of the situation was underlined by one of Clegg's allies, Baroness Shirley Williams of Crosby, who said in an interview with Channel 4 News that the Lib Dem leader had contemplated quitting after last week's elections.
"I think he himself has been persuaded he should stay, having been quite open to the idea that he shouldn't," Williams said.
Screenshot from Channel 4 News
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
4 ways to give back this holiday season
The Explainer If your budget is feeling squeezed, remember that money is not the only way you can be generous around the holidays
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
4 tips for hosting an ecofriendly Thanksgiving
The Week Recommends Coming together for the holidays typically produces a ton of waste, but with proper preparation, you can have an environmentally friendly gathering.
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
John Prescott: was he Labour's last link to the working class?
Today's Big Quesiton 'A total one-off': tributes have poured in for the former deputy PM and trade unionist
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Last hopes for justice for UK's nuclear test veterans
Under the Radar Thousands of ex-service personnel say their lives have been blighted by aggressive cancers and genetic mutations
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Donald Trump wreck the Brexit deal?
Today's Big Question President-elect's victory could help UK's reset with the EU, but a free-trade agreement with the US to dodge his threatened tariffs could hinder it
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is Lammy hoping to achieve in China?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary heads to Beijing as Labour seeks cooperation on global challenges and courts opportunities for trade and investment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Britain about to 'boil over'?
Today's Big Question A message shared across far-right groups listed more than 30 potential targets for violence in the UK today
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
UK's Starmer slams 'far-right thuggery' at riots
Speed Read The anti-immigrant violence was spurred by false rumors that the suspect in the Southport knife attack was an immigrant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published