Plan B Forum

Former Liberal Democrat Party leader Charles Kennedy has died at his home in Fort William aged 55.



His family said they were devastated to lose a "fine man and loving father". No cause of death has been given but police said it was not suspicious. Mr Kennedy, who led his party from 1999 to 2006, lost his seat last month.

Politicians including Nick Clegg and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have been paying tribute, calling him "one of the most talented politicians". Mr Clegg, who resigned as Liberal Democrat leader last month, said: "Charles devoted his life to public service, yet he had an unusual gift for speaking about politics with humour and humility which touched people well beyond the world of politics.

"He was one of the most gentle and unflappable politicians I have ever known, yet he was immensely courageous too not least when he spoke for the country against the invasion of Iraq."

Mr Kennedy's family said in a statement: "It is with great sadness, and an enormous sense of shock, that we announce the death of Charles Kennedy. "We are obviously devastated at the loss. Charles was a fine man, a talented politician, and a loving father to his young son."

A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Police officers attended an address at Fort William on Monday, June 1 to reports of the sudden death of a 55-year-old man. Police were notified by ambulance service personnel. There are no suspicious circumstances."

Charles Kennedy was one of the most influential politicians of his generation. He led the Liberal Democrats to their best ever election result in 2005, carved out a distinctive position for his party on the left of British politics and perhaps most significantly ensured his party was at the forefront of opposition to the Iraq War.

Charles Kennedy also brought a different style of politics to Westminster; more informal; relaxed and outgoing; generous to opponents, warm to friends and not one for the more bitter, dark arts of politics. He was a politician as much at ease in the television studios as in the Commons Chamber and struck a chord with the public in an age when politicians were more reserved and removed. He sought to fashion a different way of doing politics: "The Lib Dems are nobody's poodles.... but we're not rottweilers either. We don't savage on command. That's the old politics."

Never the most organised of politicians, he found the business of leadership more onerous and that, coupled with his drinking problems fuelled disquiet within the Parliamentary party that was eventually to lead to his toppling in 2006. Uncomfortable with the coalition with the Conservatives, in recent years he became a more distant figure at Westminster, but as a committed pro-European who was never shy of making he case for Europe he had hoped to take a prominent role in the forthcoming EU referendum campaign.

Former Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy died of a major haemorrhage linked to alcoholism, his family have said.

Mr Kennedy, who led the party between 1999 and 2006, died at his home in Fort William on Monday aged 55. Following a post-mortem examination, his family issued a statement saying his unexpected death was "a consequence of his battle with alcoholism".

"Ultimately this was an illness Charles could not conquer despite all the efforts he and others made," they said. Mr Kennedy fought a long battle with alcoholism, which he first publicly revealed in 2006 when he stood down from the leadership of his party, just eight months after leading it to its best-ever performance at an election.

In their statement the family said the Procurator Fiscal's post-mortem report "makes clear his (death) was a consequence of his battle with alcoholism". "We are grateful to the many friends and also medical experts who sought to help down the years but ultimately this was an illness Charles could not conquer despite all the efforts he and others made," they said said.

The family said they had been "touched beyond measure by the outpouring of warmth" from all parts of the country and all sides of politics following Mr Kennedy's death. "The pain we feel has been at least eased somewhat by the reaction of so many people across Scotland, the UK and beyond, and by the affection expressed by politicians across the spectrum.