Charles Kennedy defection claims are "rubbish"

CHARLES Kennedy has described claims he is considering joining the Labour party as "complete rubbish", following reports that he was about to resign in disgust at theeral Democrat pact with the Tories.

The former Lib Dem leader emerged from a meeting with constituents in Dingwall to declare he would not be joining Labour.

"It is absolute rubbish," he said. "I am not joining the Labour Party and have not had any discussions about it with anyone from the Labour Party."

He added: "I will go out of this world feet first with my Lib Dem membership card in my pocket."

Kennedy's comments contradicted reports yesterday that he had agreed to talk to Labour with a view to defecting by the end of the month. Several other Lib Dem MPs were also reported to be discussing their options with Labour.

Kennedy has publicly expressed his unhappiness with the coalition pact and refused to vote for the deal when it was put to MPs by party leader Nick Clegg.

In Scotland, the party is now suffering in the polls, dropping from 20 per cent to 13 per cent in the most recent polling, pointing to evidence that the coalition pact is unpopular with voters.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was given a rough ride at a hustings meeting in Bristol yesterday over his decision to enter the pact.

One participant at the question and answer session in Bristol likened Mr Clegg's alliance with David Cameron to the celebrity marriage between Cheryl and Ashley Cole, urging him: "Get out while you can, before it's too late."

However, Clegg defended the pact, describing claims that Kennedy was quitting the party as "nonsense".

He added: "Are there people who are concerned about how the coalition is operating in the Conservative party? Yes, I should think so and there are in the Lib Dem party as well, that's normal."

He went on: "We're doing something very different and new but I think people in the Lib Dems know that we have entered this coalition for a five-year period and that the time to judge if it's been a success or not is not in the heat and fury of daily headlines after 100 days, it's after five years."

The Orkney and Shetland Lib Dem MP, Alistair Carmichael, said Kennedy had probably had conversations with Labour MPs, but not about joining the party. "If you asked me if he had informal chats with Labour MPs when he had talked about the position of the government, I would be astonished if he had not. But that is something we all probably do."