Both political friends and foes have paid tribute to Charles Kennedy, the former Liberal Democrat leader who died yesterday. He was a larger than life figure in Westminster known for his flair for witty, intelligent and incisive public speaking.
Douglas Alexander, who also lost his seat to the SNP last month, led tributes from Labour:
Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, described herself as “sad beyond words” about his death at just 55-years-old:
Some remembered his superb political one-liners:
The Green Party leader, Natalie Bennett, marked the occasion by making an unusally sensible comment:
The Liberal Democrats opened a book of condolence to the man who was once Britain’s youngest MP:
Ian Blackford, who beat him in Ross, Skye & Lochaber, said:
“He was a bright, articulate and gregarious man and it is so sad that he has been taken at such a young age.
“Charles was a very kind, decent and honest man. I have known him for a long time, and I will remember him as someone that could rise above party politics.
“I recall election night in 1999 – not a good night for the SNP, but Charles showed tremendous kindness and support that evening. I will never forget that.”
Less notable were the words of Alex Salmond who was widely attacked for claiming Kennedy’s heart was not really in the Better Together campaign. It was widely seen as an attempt to make it appear Kennedy had secret sympathies for Scottish Independence.
The Daily Telegraph report him as saying: “Yes, he was an extremely generous human being. I have had one or two, but not many, people who had a bad word to say about Charles, and that’s very rare in politics. In terms of the independence referendum, I don’t think his heart was in the ‘Better Together’ campaign.
“His heart would have been in a pro-European campaign, that’s a campaign that Charles would have engaged in heart and soul. That is something he absolutely believed in.”
The Prime Minister, David Cameron, was much more formal:
As was the former Labour Leader, Ed Miliband:
His Alma Mater, Glasgow University, posted some photos from his remarkable life:
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.