BRITAIN: Charles Kennedy's leadership of the Liberal Democrats, the third party in British politics, was slipping away from him last night after a dramatic day in which his closest colleagues made it clear they could no longer work with him. On Thursday he had held a press conference to admit to a drinking problem.
A group of 25 MPs - more than a third of his party - announced they wanted him to go and threatened to quit their posts if he has not resigned by Monday.
Mr Kennedy insisted he had wide support among party members and the public and called on his parliamentary critics to reflect on their ultimatum.
Behind the scenes at least three candidates - his deputy, Sir Menzies Campbell; the party president, Simon Hughes; and the home affairs spokesman, Mark Oaten - are expected to stand for the leadership should Mr Kennedy stand aside.
Several cabinet members, including two who announced they would resign on Monday, Andrew George and Norman Lamb, are said to have approached Sir Menzies asking him to stand.
Mr Kennedy left his office in the Commons last night buoyed by phone calls from the public asking him to stay, but knowing he could convene a Lib Dem cabinet meeting next Tuesday attended by only himself and potential rivals for his job.
The most damning sentiments came in a letter signed by Sarah Teather, the party's local government spokeswoman, and Edward Davey, the education spokesman. It said: "We have indicated to Charles Kennedy that we would no longer be prepared to serve under his leadership after this weekend and wish to give him the next couple of days to reflect on his position."
Just two hours earlier Mr Kennedy had met Vince Cable, the party's shadow chancellor (finance spokesman), who delivered a letter from 10 members of his cabinet warning him his position was "unsustainable". This list is said to include David Laws, Michael Moore and John Thurso, who are not signatories to the public statement.
Mr Cable, who spent 15 minutes with a "relaxed and smiling" Mr Kennedy in the Commons, has decided not to release the contents of the letter.
It was this document, which was prepared before Christmas, that started the pressure on Mr Kennedy.
MPs who had criticised him said yesterday they had taken the action out of friendship for their leader, whom they felt could not cope with fighting Labour, a revitalised Conservative party and a drink problem, while coping with a new family.
Norman Lamb, the party's industry spokesman, summed it up: "I think the difficulty is that the alcohol problem leads on to other difficulties. One of the problems that you inevitably get is that you get something of a bunker mentality developing whereby the private office get cut off from the parliamentary party and from senior colleagues."
MPs also continued to question whether Mr Kennedy had given up drinking for two months. A source close to Mr Kennedy said that late last year "there was a day when there was a lapse". Asked when Mr Kennedy last drank, the source said "it may have been seven weeks and two days rather than eight weeks".
Mr Kennedy was, however, refusing to accept that his resignation was inevitable. - (Guardian service)