Will Nick Clegg survive his mauling in the European elections? The front pages this morning don’t do the Lib Dem leader any favours – although his main leadership rivals, Tim Farron and Vince Cable, did by pledging their loyalty to him.
There is considerable suspicion in the party that the polling on the Guardian front page was commissioned by one of Cable’s allies, with or without the Business Secretary’s knowledge or approval. It’s certainly had more impact than an open letter or pithy op-ed, and whoever the ‘Lib Dem supporter’ responsible for the leak is, they’re certainly not a Nick Clegg supporter.
Privately, Clegg has admitted that he wishes his ‘party of In’ campaign had more nuance on the question of reform so that he didn’t sound blindly pro-European. He certainly needs more examples than his beloved anecdote about the time it took eurocrats to define chocolate.
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