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| Former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe dies | Former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe dies |
| (31 minutes later) | |
| Former Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe has died aged 85 after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease, his son Rupert has announced. | Former Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe has died aged 85 after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease, his son Rupert has announced. |
| He was elected leader of the Liberals in 1967, promising to turn the party into a radical pioneering force. | He was elected leader of the Liberals in 1967, promising to turn the party into a radical pioneering force. |
| But his political career ended when his life was engulfed in scandal and he faced trial on charges of conspiracy and incitement to murder. | But his political career ended when his life was engulfed in scandal and he faced trial on charges of conspiracy and incitement to murder. |
| He stepped down as leader in 1976 and was cleared of the charges in 1979. | He stepped down as leader in 1976 and was cleared of the charges in 1979. |
| Mr Thorpe resigned as Liberal Party leader after allegations of an affair with a former male model, Norman Scott, at a time when male homosexual acts were illegal. | |
| Along with three other men, he was later charged with conspiracy to murder Mr Scott, but all the men walked free from court after a 31-day trial. | |
| Before the verdict, he lost the North Devon seat he had held for 20 years in the 1979 general election. | |
| Lord Steel of Aikwood, who succeeded him as party leader, said: "He had a genuine sympathy for the underprivileged - whether in his beloved North Devon where his first campaign was for 'mains, drains and a little bit of light' or in Africa, where he was a resolute fighter against apartheid and became a respected friend of people like President Kaunda of Zambia." |