CHARLES KENNEDY is finished as Liberal Democrat leader. It is only a question of time. He put himself and his future before the long-term interests of his party. His decision to appeal over the heads of his 62 MPs to the 73,000 party members in the country on a “put-up-or-shut-up” appeal guarantees lasting bitterness and division, even if he wins any leadership ballot.

Mr Kennedy’s admission that he has a drink problem, for which he has received professisonal help, comes after weeks and months of speculation and specific denials. His statement was less brave than forced by an imminent ITN report. There will be widespread sympathy with his personal plight, which he believes has been “essentially resolved”.

But Mr Kennedy had repeatedly given misleading answers about his drinking. That alone makes him an implausible person to lead his party into another general election. The long-rumoured drinking has, however, been a symptom only of a deeper problem. Mr Kennedy had previously been a very successful leader. He took a high risk in opposing the Iraq war, and has taken the Lib Dems to their largest number of MPs since 1923. There has nevertheless been a widespread sense among senior Lib Dem MPs that he has not offered his party a clear lead since the general election.

His performances have been lacklustre and lacked bite. His critics have feared that the Lib Dems could be squeezed by a revived Tory party under David Cameron, as well as by the absence of the Iraq factor.

These worries led to the rumblings in the parliamentary party last month. And, as was disclosed yesterday, a letter expressing no confidence in his leadership was signed by 11 of his senior MPs, including ten in the Lib Dem Shadow Cabinet. They did not send the letter to their leader.

The discontent has been mainly confined to senior spokesmen and MPs who have worked closely with him. Mr Kennedy is now calculating that he can mobilise what he called the “tremendous support” of party members. He is daring any aspiring successor to stand now. But that puts the MPs, and any challengers, in an impossible position. It would have been far better if Mr Kennedy had sought a vote of confidence from his MPs next week. That could still happen if disgruntled MPs try to counter last night’s move.

Any victory in a leadership ballot would leave Mr Kennedy wounded, probably fatally. Sir John Major similarly sought to end internal dissent by resigning and standing for re-election as Conservative leader in June 1995. He won but his authority was never really re-established.

The current leadership turmoil comes just when the Lib Dems need vigour and fresh thinking in a fast-changing political landscape. None of the potential successors is ideal and the only beneficiaries of yesterday’s events will be the other main parties. Mr Kennedy deserves a better farewell. It is up to Lib Dem MPs to consider telling Mr Kennedy on Monday that his proposed course threatens to prolong the agony, for his party and him.

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