Stephen Newton, 40, was sunning himself yesterday in 20C with his family, while Lib Dem canvassers were pounding the streets of Yarmouth to try to drum up support.

“It was a tough call what to do about the holiday but we booked it last year,” Newton said. “I did not know the general election was going to be now.”

Why not? Everyone else did.

Why Charlie is the distillers’ darling

MY OLD FRIEND Charlie Whelan, who has given up his BBC show to teach salmon fishing on the River Spey, is about to do the Scottish economy another favour. The former spin-doctor to Gordon Brown, who is therefore naturally an enemy of Tony Blair, offered a bottle of Highland malt to any Labour candidate using a picture of the PM on their campaign leaflets. Whelan predicted that Blair was so loathed that he would not have to spend a penny. Sorry, Charlie. At the last count you owe 21 bottles. An expensive clanger but good news for the distilleries.

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