Cabbie finds Clegg’s debate dossier
A senior aide to Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg left his notes on last week’s televised debate in the back of a London taxi.
The dossier, with the misleading title I’m Not Here Right Now, was handed in to the Sun newspaper by the cab’s driver.
“Addressing audience directly worked very well,” adviser John Starkey wrote in the handwritten file for Mr Clegg.
“The guy was on the phone during the journey and I think he was talking to Nick Clegg,” he told the red-top.
“He kept telling him how well he had done in the debate. He was quite theatrical in the way he spoke.”
Mr Clegg sought to laugh the gaffe off at his early morning press conference.
“I’m glad to see my top team’s preparing for government by getting into the habit of leaving secret dossiers in the back of cabs,” he said.
“I’ve always been advised to be myself in the leaders’ debates.”
The Lib Dem leader was reportedly appalled by his performance after last Thursday’s debate, which addressed domestic issues.
His party’s strong surge in the polls has shown why he had nothing to fear, as former leader Paddy Ashdown told politics.co.uk earlier this week.
“He’s a politician of really remarkable attractiveness, as well as skill and principle, so I’m not surprised,” Lord Ashdown said.
“He performed, I grant you, at the top end of my range of expectations, but nevertheless well within the range of my expectations, and he’s proving himself to be the politician I knew he was when I met him 15 or 20 years ago.”
Mr Clegg’s next major test comes in tomorrow night’s leaders’ debate, which will address foreign policy issues.
