Kennedy ‘not defecting to Labour’
By politics.co.uk staff
Charles Kennedy will not defect to Labour, he has confirmed to reporters.
The former Liberal Democrat leader was at the centre of several media report suggesting he was on the verge of leaving the party to join the opposition, but he has roundly rejected the suggestion.
“I am not joining the Labour party and have not had any discussions about it with anyone from the Labour party,” he told the Mail on Sunday.
Instead, he planned to “go out of this world feet first with my Lib Dem membership card in my pocket”.
Nick Clegg added his voice to the message, saying: “I don’t think I can do better than quote Charles, who said it’s the silliest of the silly season stories in August.”
Mr Kennedy was one of the first – and certainly the most prominent – Lib Dem figure to go public with his problems with the coalition.
He was in favour of an alliance with Labour at the time, and regretted that “there was insufficient reciprocal will” for a deal to take place.
Labour leadership contender Ed Miliband said the reports of Mr Kennedy’s departure were the product of Lib Dem discomfort with the coalition.
“I certainly haven’t had any conversations with Charles Kennedy about him defecting to Labour,” he said.
“I do think there are lots and lots of very unhappy Liberal Democrats, though, not just members of parliament but others who think well, actually, we came into politics for a fairer, a more just and more equal society and we’ve got a coalition delivering the absolute opposite.”
Mr Miliband has made it clear he intends to target uncomfortable Lib Dem supporters if he becomes leader.
