A FORMER journalist and MEP who only entered the House of Commons in May was poised to join the Liberal Democrat leadership race last night. Chris Huhne, MP for Eastleigh, was being urged by colleagues to run.

Mr Huhne, 51, would stand on a radical green platform married with a commitment to economic competence and devolving power to local communities.

Although not well known at Westminster, the former City economist and newspaper executive has a high profile among Lib Dem members as a former MEP and chairman of a review of public services policy.

Mr Huhne, who wrote a chapter on international policy for the Orange Book of Liberal Democrat policy essays in autumn 2004, has support among new MPs who are disappointed that Edward Davey and Nick Clegg have decided not to stand and to back Sir Menzies Campbell instead.

David Howarth, who will run Mr Huhne’s campaign, Martin Horwood, Stephen Williams, Lynne Featherstone — all new MPs — and John Pugh, from the 2001 intake, are among those behind him. The team met at the Commons last night to discuss the campaign.

Mr Horwood said: “Chris has some impressive qualities on the economy and good green credentials. He is a prudent radical and formidably clever.”

Mr Williams said: “At the moment he is easily the most impressive of the new intake of MPs.”

Mr Huhne’s chief platform will be a series of tough environmental policies designed to claim back the green policy mantle from David Cameron, the Conservative leader. They include environmental taxes and working out the contribution to climate change from households and transport in an attempt to curb pollution.

He advocated a radical shift towards local control of hospitals and schools in his policy review after the 2001 election, which became a focus for the early stages of a fierce ideological tussle between defenders of the Beveridge vision of universal public services and younger MPs urging more choice and involvement of the market.

Economically, he is on the party’s Right but supporters hope that his commitments to green taxes will win backing from environmental cam- paigners. His entry into the race would hamper attempts by supporters of Sir Menzies to present the party’s elder statesman as a centrist figure and push Simon Hughes, his closest rival, on to the Left of the party’s spectrum. He is likely to attract support that would otherwise go to Sir Menzies, the Lib Dems’ acting leader.

Mr Hughes, the second favourite, will confirm his candidature today, although supporters have warned him that they do not want a repeat of his shambolic campaign for London mayor in spring 2004, when he polled 15 per cent of first-choice votes, compared with the Lib Dems’ national rating of 22 per cent.

Tim Farron, who will run Mr Hughes’s campaign, said: “Simon has tremendous appeal. He is a bit like a flair footballer who needs good management.”

He added: “One of the things we are determined to demonstrate is Simon is able to leave behind the kind of woolly Liberal tag in terms of organisation.”

Mr Hughes’s backers predict that up to 11 or 12 MPs will support him, including Steve Webb, Paul Holmes, Richard Younger-Ross, Annette Brooke, Mark Hunter and Paul Rowen, who has agreed to nominate him to ensure a contested vote.

There were no further declarations for Mark Oaten, who requires the nominations of at least seven other MPs. But his campaign manager, Lembit Opik, said: “We have got the names. This is commercially sensitive and we are going to keep it that way.”

Sir Menzies pointedly chose to tackle Tony Blair on public service reforms yesterday as he took part in his first Prime Minister’s Questions, in an attempt to dispel criticism that his expertise lies in foreign and defence policy. He highlighted criticisms of the Government’s schools, health and police reforms and accused Mr Blair of centralising services but failing to deliver improvements.

As Lib Dem MPs attended their first parliamentary party meeting last night since Charles Kennedy’s forced resignation as leader, there were signs that some who took opposing positions in the drama were trying to rekindle friendships to prevent lasting bitterness.

The first hustings event of the leadership campaign takes place on Saturday after party chiefs agreed that 350 Lib Dems attending a policy conference at the London School of Economics should hear speeches from declared candidates during the opening 45 minutes.

This weekend’s policy conference was already due to be addressed by Sir Menzies, as acting leader, and Mr Hughes as party president. But other candidates will now be offered speaking slots of similar length to achieve balance.

After initial declarations by candidates, their camps will prepare more detailed campaigns next week covering all the main policy areas, leadership style and strategy.

CHRIS HUHNE

• Born 6 July 1954
  
• Attended Westminster School followed by the Sorbonne in Paris and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he gained a first-class degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics
  
• Has written four books mainly on the themes of third world debt and development and European integration
  
• A former economics editor of The Guardian and business editor of The Independent on Sunday. Named financial journalist of the year in 1990
  
• Married in 1984. Has two sons, one daughter and two step-daughters
  
• Supports Chelsea FC

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