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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Nick Clegg 'shocked and saddened' by Chris Huhne's guilty plea | Nick Clegg 'shocked and saddened' by Chris Huhne's guilty plea |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Nick Clegg has said he is "shocked and saddened" by the decision of the former Liberal Democrat cabinet minister Chris Huhne to plead guilty to perverting the course of justice by asking his wife to take his penalty points on her driving licence 10 years ago. | Nick Clegg has said he is "shocked and saddened" by the decision of the former Liberal Democrat cabinet minister Chris Huhne to plead guilty to perverting the course of justice by asking his wife to take his penalty points on her driving licence 10 years ago. |
| Huhne said he would be standing down as an MP, and he also expects to be expelled from the Liberal Democrats for perverting the course of justice. | Huhne said he would be standing down as an MP, and he also expects to be expelled from the Liberal Democrats for perverting the course of justice. |
| He does not plan to pursue any further career in politics and faces very heavy legal fees and a possible lengthy jail sentence. | He does not plan to pursue any further career in politics and faces very heavy legal fees and a possible lengthy jail sentence. |
| In a series of difficult conversations, he told friends and family, as well as Clegg, of his decision to plead guilty on Sunday. There was a brief discussion on whether he could stay in the seat until the election to prevent a difficult byelection, but he rejected this option, believing he has to break with politics entirely and anyway would be hounded from the seat by public opinion. | In a series of difficult conversations, he told friends and family, as well as Clegg, of his decision to plead guilty on Sunday. There was a brief discussion on whether he could stay in the seat until the election to prevent a difficult byelection, but he rejected this option, believing he has to break with politics entirely and anyway would be hounded from the seat by public opinion. |
| His resignation and guilty plea had not been widely foreseen in the political world, and place pressure on the Liberal Democrats to hold Huhne's highly marginal Eastleigh seat. | His resignation and guilty plea had not been widely foreseen in the political world, and place pressure on the Liberal Democrats to hold Huhne's highly marginal Eastleigh seat. |
| Huhne had since 2005 strengthened the Liberal Democrat grip on the seat, and had seen the party cement a rare stranglehold on the council, on which the Liberal Democrats hold 40 seats and the Conservatives just four. | Huhne had since 2005 strengthened the Liberal Democrat grip on the seat, and had seen the party cement a rare stranglehold on the council, on which the Liberal Democrats hold 40 seats and the Conservatives just four. |
| It is likely that the Liberal Democrats will select a local candidate to underline the strength of the local party. But morale among local Liberal Democrats will be low because of the Huhne resignation, and it is likely some voters will want to punish Huhne by voting for another party. | It is likely that the Liberal Democrats will select a local candidate to underline the strength of the local party. But morale among local Liberal Democrats will be low because of the Huhne resignation, and it is likely some voters will want to punish Huhne by voting for another party. |
| Although Clegg and Huhne have been political rivals, the Lib Dem leader has also been his friend and will take no personal pleasure in Huhne's downfall, and the family breakup that spiralled out of control. | Although Clegg and Huhne have been political rivals, the Lib Dem leader has also been his friend and will take no personal pleasure in Huhne's downfall, and the family breakup that spiralled out of control. |
| Clegg said the former energy secretary had taken the "right decision" to step down from parliament in light of the admission. "This is obviously an extremely serious matter and it's essential that the legal process is now allowed to run its course," Clegg told reporters. | Clegg said the former energy secretary had taken the "right decision" to step down from parliament in light of the admission. "This is obviously an extremely serious matter and it's essential that the legal process is now allowed to run its course," Clegg told reporters. |
| Clegg would have been nervous if Huhne had been cleared since he might represent a destabilising influence on the backbenches if he was not given some kind of ministerial post. | Clegg would have been nervous if Huhne had been cleared since he might represent a destabilising influence on the backbenches if he was not given some kind of ministerial post. |
| Nigel Farage, the leader of Ukip, has said he will decide in the next 48 hours whether to stand in the byelection, something he had promised to do in the past. He will need to assess the seriousness of his chances of winning the seat, or whether he should focus on the European elections next year. | Nigel Farage, the leader of Ukip, has said he will decide in the next 48 hours whether to stand in the byelection, something he had promised to do in the past. He will need to assess the seriousness of his chances of winning the seat, or whether he should focus on the European elections next year. |
| The Conservatives have already campaigned for the seat, and have little affection for Huhne, whom they disliked politically and personally. They will throw all their big guns at the seat and, given the circumstances, should expect to win. | The Conservatives have already campaigned for the seat, and have little affection for Huhne, whom they disliked politically and personally. They will throw all their big guns at the seat and, given the circumstances, should expect to win. |
| Huhne increased the Lib Dems' majority to 3,864 in 2010, securing 24,966 compared with the Conservatives' 21,102, Labour's 5,153 and Ukip's 1,933. The difficulty for the Liberal Democrats is that Huhne's centre-left politics and profile were effective in squeezing the local Labour vote, and his replacement will need to do the same. In 1997 the Labour vote was 14,883, or 26.8%. At the time of the 1994 byelection, Labour came second behind the Liberal Democrats, taking 15,234 votes or 27.6%. | |
| If Miliband is to show he can win votes in the south, Labour will be expected to do as well again. | If Miliband is to show he can win votes in the south, Labour will be expected to do as well again. |
| That Labour vote has gradually declined and shifted to Liberal Democrats in recent years, and had shrunk to 9.6% in 2010. | |
| Huhne's departure also clears the field on the left of the party if Clegg stands down after the 2015 election. Tim Farron, the party president, will be in pole position from the left, but everything will depend on how the party fares in 2015. Many expect the party to do better than its national poll rating suggests. | Huhne's departure also clears the field on the left of the party if Clegg stands down after the 2015 election. Tim Farron, the party president, will be in pole position from the left, but everything will depend on how the party fares in 2015. Many expect the party to do better than its national poll rating suggests. |
| In the short term Huhne's departure also increases the focus on the business secretary, Vince Cable, to represent the social democratic view inside the party. |