Kennedy threatens to sue

Published on Saturday 5 July 2003 01:00

LIBERAL Democrat leader Charles Kennedy is set to sue over allegations a drinking problem has affected his work.

The threat of legal action follows a story in a newspaper yesterday that the MP has a drink problem.

The article in the Daily Mail was the latest in a string of stories in the press suggesting the Ross, Skye and Inverness West MP was drinking heavily.

Party colleagues say the stories are part of a smear campaign by Labour and the Tories in a bid to quash Mr Kennedy’s popularity which has grown due to his protests against the war in Iraq.

The confirmation from Mr Kennedy’s office that he was thinking of suing indicates a sharp turnaround from his previous response to such accusations. The MP had recently said they provoked "wry amusement" adding "sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me."

But the Mail article drew an angry response from the leader’s office.

A spokeswoman for Mr Kennedy said: "The allegations are denied as they have been consistently. We are taking legal advice."

Mr Kennedy was at the centre of questions about his working habits last month after he failed to turn up at the House of Commons for an important speech on the euro by chancellor Gordon Brown.

The Lib Dem leader chose to watch it on television instead.