Drink battle Kennedy calls leadership poll

• Kennedy admits to having battled alcohol problem and calls election

• Two candidates refuse to stand against him, third yet to comment

• Statement admired by many, but comes after several recorded denials

Key quote

"He hasn't resigned with dignity; he has decided to carry on with courage and dignity. What he has done, though, is taken the taboo out of the problems of alcoholism." - LEMBIT OPIK, LIBDEM MP

Story in full CHARLES Kennedy put his political life on the line last night, admitting to a serious drink problem and calling an election, in a gamble that could see him sacked as Liberal Democrat leader.

After weeks of damaging speculation about his position, he was forced into an unprecedented public confession after the emergence of hard evidence that he had received medical treatment for alcohol misuse.

The scale of his colleagues' unhappiness with Mr Kennedy also became clear. Some 11 members of his front-bench have signed a letter calling for him to resign, and had planned to present it to him on Monday.

The twin revelations forced the Lib Dem leader into a desperate gamble, when he admitted he had repeatedly lied about his problem.

"Over the past 18 months, I have been coming to terms with, and seeking to cope with, a drink problem," Mr Kennedy said in a statement at his party's London headquarters. "I've sought professional help, and I believe today that this issue is essentially resolved.

"People close to me know that this has been a struggle," he said, insisting he had not had a drink for the past two months.

Within hours, several senior MPs who had been seen as possible challengers praised their leader's bravery and honesty in making his statement and said they would not stand against him.

But for all its dignity, Mr Kennedy's admission exposes him to grave political risk. Until yesterday, he had always denied having a drink problem and disputed suggestions that he'd had to seek medical help as a result. Now, he has admitted lying about his condition and offered opponents several opportunities to attack his character and integrity.

On Wednesday, Mr Kennedy had warned that a leadership election among card-carrying members would be damaging for the Lib Dems. "It would occupy the party almost entirely up until the May local elections, which I think would be the most enormous, self-inflicted distraction," Mr Kennedy said - a day before he called just such an election.

Some party insiders said it remained possible that Mr Kennedy could yet be forced to withdraw his name from the election process that he triggered yesterday.

By calling for an election among the party membership, the Lib Dem leader has effectively admitted he has lost the confidence of his MPs, many of whom feel he missed an opportunity to gain ground on a now-resurgent Conservative Party.

Mr Kennedy's calculation is that none of his would-be replacements will dare to challenge him directly, accepting that he remains popular among grassroots party members and the wider public.

Last night, that gamble appeared to have been at least partly successful.

Mark Oaten, the party's home affairs spokesman, said he would not stand against Mr Kennedy. "Charles's courageous decision to go back to the membership will be a great chance to clear away the bad air of the past weeks and face the future constructively," Mr Oaten said.

Sir Menzies Campbell, Mr Kennedy's deputy and the bookmakers' favourite to become the party's new leader, also said he would not stand against Mr Kennedy.

"Charles Kennedy's statement was both brave and dignified, and took a remarkable amount of personal courage," Sir Menzies said.

"I have said on many occasions that I would not stand in a leadership election against Charles Kennedy, and I confirm that again this evening."

But Simon Hughes, the party president and another potential leadership contender, said only that he had not made a decision about running.

"I have always taken the view that Charles should be supported whilst he commands the support of the party," Mr Hughes said.

He called for the election to be postponed until after the local elections in England in May. That could mean Mr Kennedy has won himself only a temporary stay of execution.

Mr Kennedy's determination to fight any challenge has always been his best hope of surviving in his post, and he used his statement to make clear his resolve.

"I consider myself capable and in good health - and I remain politically determined as leader of the party," he said.

The greatest risk to Mr Kennedy is the allegation that he has not been honest about his condition.

He has repeatedly denied a drink problem in recent years. Only last month, he claimed he was "an extremely moderate and infrequent consumer of alcohol", and replied to questions about a "battle" with alcohol by saying: "No, no, no, that is not the case."

Much earlier, in March 2004, he said: "I certainly do not have a drink problem."

Those denials have long been questioned by people who have been close to Mr Kennedy.

Yesterday afternoon, ITV News, which employs Mr Kennedy's former press secretary as one of its political correspondents, made clear that it was planning to broadcast claims that the Lib Dem leader had, indeed, sought medical help for his condition.

That forced Mr Kennedy's hand, and in his statement, he tried to justify his previous lack of candour on the subject.

"I have chosen not to acknowledge it publicly in this way before because, if at all possible, I wanted to overcome it privately," he said. "In a sense, this admission today comes as something of a personal relief. I should have been willing to talk about it more openly before. I wish I had."

He was praised for his actions yesterday by Lembit Opik, a member of the party's shadow cabinet, who called for him to be re-elected unopposed. "He hasn't resigned with dignity; he has decided to carry on with courage and dignity," Mr Opik said. "What he has done, though, is taken the taboo out of the problems of alcoholism."

Mr Kennedy's move also drew praise from a number of alcoholism charities last night.

Don Shenker, of Alcohol Concern, said: "Charles Kennedy's case demonstrates that alcohol dependency affects all sections of society."

He said one million people in the UK are alcohol-dependent. "We applaud Charles Kennedy for taking this step to own up to any problems he may have, and we require more public education to tackle the stigma attached to alcohol dependency, so that people can get into treatment early."

However, not all of Mr Kennedy's senior colleagues gave full support.

Norman Baker, the party's environment spokesman, last night said that the question of whether Mr Kennedy's drink problem should disqualify him from the leadership "has to be a consideration".

The statement

"I'VE called this press conference to address one issue directly and one that's been a source of concern for me and others for some time.

"Over the past 18 months, I've been coming to terms with, and seeking to cope with, a drinking problem, and I've come to learn through that process that a drink problem is a serious problem indeed. It's serious for yourself and it's serious for those around you. I've sought professional help, and I believe today that this issue is essentially resolved.

"People close to me know this has been a struggle and for extended periods I've consumed no alcohol at all. As a matter of fact, I've not had a drink for the past two months and I don't intend to in the future.

"I learned the hard way of the need to face up to this medical problem - one that is dealt with successfully by many others on a daily basis. I chose not to acknowledge it publicly before in this way because, if at all possible, I wanted to overcome it privately.

"So, in a sense, this admission today comes as something of a personal relief. I should have been willing to talk about it more openly beforehand, and I wish I had.

"This issue has understandably been of concern to parliamentary colleagues and they have been both understanding and supportive, and I am extremely grateful to them for that. It has also been behind much of the speculation about the leadership within the parliamentary party.

"So let me be clear: I consider myself to be capable and in good health and remain politically determined. This party's members have shown me tremendous support over the years and overwhelmingly so in recent weeks and days. It's a privilege to serve as their leader.

"I want to continue to do so, not least because I believe that the prospects in front of us in this parliament are very great indeed.

"I believe it's only fair now to give our party members their say over my continuing leadership. It's open, of course, to any colleague who believes they can better represent the longer-term interests of the party to stand against me in such a leadership election."