Nick Gets His Teeth into Ken

Nick Clegg was the star turn at the London Liberal Democrat spring conference in Camden this evening, confirming what everyone in the party knows already: that this time, the federal party really is taking the London Mayoral and GLA elections seriously. Following the recent spate of council by-elections, the party is on a high in London, and with the Mayoral campaign kicking off officially today, there is all to play for. Nick paid generous tribute to the LibDem Mayoral candidate Brian Paddick, who preceded him on the rostrum. As Nick put it, with the current state of things in the capital, who would you trust most: a joke, a failure, or a policeman?

Nick lamented that he had difficulty getting into the Scots’ spring conference recently, as the guys on the door didn’t know who he was. Maybe they can’t believe that there’s an Englishman at the head of the party once again. Certainly south of the border, there is no lack of recognition, and there’s growing affection for someone who not only hits the right buttons on so many issues but also has a nice line in ad libs. Asked to present gifts to Sally Hamwee and Graham Tope — who are both standing down from the GLA this time, though they will be kept busy in the House of Lords – he had a peek in the goodie bags and pretended to start walking off the stage, saying he was sure they would prefer a book token instead.

Link: www.brianpaddick.org