May 2006 - Hughes and Clegg battle for the soul of the Lib Dems
It was a common belief among many in the Liberal Democrats that Hughes had played a poor role in the last election, failing to strike many differences with Livingstone and opening up questions about his sexuality along with his policy choices leading to a loss in votes and MP's. Whereas Hughes managed to secure a Supply and Confidence deal with Labour, he has been challenged by a number of MP's in the center and the right of the party, with the young and largely unknown Nick Clegg as their standard-bearer:
The Candidates:
Simon Hughes: While weakened, Hughes vows to fight on and lead the party into a better result in the upcoming election, arguing he has what it takes to fight back. Hughes has defended his deal with Labour arguing the party needs to be a party of the progressive left, standing up for civil rights, environmentalism, more economically-leftist policies, and join a future coalition with Labour if necessary.
Nick Clegg: Despite being an inexperienced MP, the media-friendly Clegg has launched a fiery challenge to Hughes, advocating for the Liberal Democrats to move back into a "radical centre" more in tune with liberal (economically and socially) values than being a less radical version of Labour. More importantly, Clegg believes it was a mistake not to join forces with New Labour in an alliance, and argues that allying with Blair would provide the party with a real shot at power in the upcoming election.
Poll
