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The gossip about his drinking also persisted in the face of vehement denials. He made it no secret that he likes a whisky, but he has surprised more than one lunch guest in the past by ordering a large Scotch as an aperitif.

MPs also tell of the times when he mysteriously cancelled speeches at short notice after long train journeys. Earlier this month eyebrows were raised when he pulled out of a visit to the northeast for “personal family reasons”.

()On Tuesday Kennedy planned to draw a line under the matter by issuing a challenge to colleagues. He opened the meeting by saying: “If anyone has got any problems with my leadership, they should come and say it to my face.”

Unfortunately for him several of his senior MPs, who had been rattled by the accumulation of bad press, took him at his word. One of those present said: “He said he wanted our endorsement to remain as leader to fight the next general election. He was effectively saying, ‘Back me or sack me’. Unfortunately, he didn’t get those assurances.”

As Kennedy looked around the table for support, several colleagues glanced down and studied their fingernails. A relatively new MP was moved to break the ice. Sandra Gidley, MP for Romsey and the party’s spokeswoman on women and older people, suggested that soundings needed to be taken — not just a quiet word with the leader. This was hardly the seal of approval that Kennedy was looking for.

One MP present said: “Sandra was the first to express some misgivings. There were then about another 12 contributions of which only two seemed to back Charles.” Another female relative newcomer, Sarah Teather, the 31-year-old local government spokesman, expressed similar doubts.

The spell had been broken and Andrew Stunell, the party chief whip, was asked to take unofficial soundings among MPs who had “something to get off their chest”.

One senior colleague who seemed to be struggling to find the decongestant was Menzies Campbell. Probably the only man in the Westminster party senior enough to wield the knife “bottled it”, according to colleagues.

The party’s deputy leader and foreign affairs spokesman, who always refers to “Kennedy” rather than the more familiar “Charles”, could have killed off his compadre but wobbled at the last minute. Privately colleagues say he is no fan of the Kennedy style and has publicly lamented that he never stood for the leadership.

His unusual reluctance to return journalists’ calls spoke volumes. Kennedy called him to a mano a mano session the next day. The meeting was evidently tense judging by Campbell’s departure after just 16 minutes and his refusal to comment. The party leader later indicated that the meeting had been fraught, making little secret of the advice he had been given. “Sometimes your closest friends are your frankest friends,” Kennedy said.

Eventually Campbell emerged to give a kind of backing to Kennedy. After several days of prevaricating he said: “As long as Charles Kennedy remains leader of the Liberal Democrats he has my full support.” Other potential challengers were just as equivocal.

Simon Hughes, the party president and failed London mayoral candidate, made it clear that this leader was on probation. Then things got worse when Mark Oaten, 41, one of Kennedy’s chief loyalists, gave a newspaper interview in which he seemed to set out his leadership stall.

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