This year has forced a rethink of what it means to be a Liberal Democrat. As the anonymous panel met to compile the list there was a sense in which that crisis of identity was still being played out. Not since the party was welded together from what was left of David Owen’s ego and David Steel’s “preparation for government” pipe dreams, have the joints between the activists and the power-seekers been more exposed. The impact of government sits over the Liberal Democrat list as the defining moments of the last year are picked over. The two centres of power – government and party pulled the discussion in different directions. As in the debate about the formation of the coalition itself, it was power which won out over protest. The top ten clearly shows the impact of power: the leader is now number 1, overtaking Vince Cable for the top spot. He seized his moment and is now living through the consequences for himself and for his party. It is still too early to say if the prize was worth the sacrifice but it is safe to say the Liberal Democrats and British politics will never be the same again.

Nick Clegg, the Cleggster as some Liberal Democrats call him, is an unfolding psycho drama of compelling fascination. The last time a left of centre party entered a coalition with the Conservatives was in 1931. Many of those then Labour politicians who became National Labour seemed to become more like Tories than their Tory colleagues. A Liberal Democrat critic of the coalition has compared it privately to the final scenes of George Orwell’s Animal Farm when the Pigs become interchangeable with the humans! Certainly while watching Clegg balance party and government, deal with sharp declines in his popularity and, a new experience for most Liberal Democrats, be actually hated for the decisions he is part of, it is hard not to have been impressed by the strength of Clegg’s character over the last year. What everyone in the Westminster village wants to know is for how long he can keep it up? Clegg is supported by many backroom figures who suddenly find themselves at the centre of power. Two women stand out in this group: the leader’s brain, Polly Mackenzie (up 5 to 12) and his mouth piece, Lena Pietsch (new in at 22). Clegg and Pietsch talk to each other in German when they don’t want others to understand. These two sit on top of the new breed of players that government has taken to top of the party rankings: the special advisers. The star here is Richard Reeves. He has managed the transition from contributing to discussions on constitutional reform inside Brown’s Number Ten, to working as a special adviser for the coalition with the complete ease of the truly ambitious power seeker.

But the highest new entry reflects the transformation that comes when the power seekers win out. The quiet and serious backbencher Michael Moore emerges as a safe pair of hands as Secretary of State for Scotland at number 13: and an effective new Ministerial career starts. Vince Cable slips, not because of his position on cuts, he was an early and keen cutter, but because others have forced their way ahead of him. Some have been very lucky indeed. Danny Alexander was on the way up, a key player internally he has emerged as the number two man of the Liberal Democratic part of the government and is earning grudging respect from his Conservative counterparts. The change in perception of Alexander began during the coalition talks. He was the architect of the coalition and has gone from “nice guy but...” to the key player in the politics of cuts. This could cause him trouble down the road as he navigates between loyalty to his party boss Clegg and his Ministerial partner Osborne. His association with the exercise of power and what it might do to his political position and personality, is the second most fascinating to watch.  Luck has also played its part in the resistible rise of Chris Huhne. He has not made it easy for himself or for his leader but in the curious relationship between the media, politics and the sex lives of politicians, he somehow survived the changes in his private life to stubbornly hold onto his top three position. Moore and Huhne’s  luck was made in party by the bad luck of David Laws. Laws trusted that somehow the media spotlight would not illuminate his private life. He is down but he is by no means out. The Tories still love him, the party still need him and when the chance comes he will return to office.

Between the activist wing and the power seekers, the party grandees sit. Many have slipped back. Those who were lukewarm on the coalition like Paddy Ashdown and Ming Campbell have suffered as a consequence. Others who have actual experience of office might have been expected to rise but have gone rather quiet – like Shirley Williams. Among the left, fates have been different. Simon Hughes sits amid the top ten like an unexploded bomb. There is no question that he will go off. The question is when and with what impact. Tim Farron, a darling of conference and the activists, enters the top fifty for the first time because of his potential to rock the boat. But in general this is not the hour of the activist or the left. Much might change this week and in the year to come. But for the year that was and for the power that the Liberal Democrats now hold the power seekers have won the day and topped the list.

 

  1. (+1) Nick Clegg

Leader of the Liberal Democrats

The last six months have seen Nick Clegg transformed from political wannabe to Deputy Prime Minister. It was he who drove his party through the coalition formation process with barely a whimper of dissent. Since then, he has put in an assured performance in his role as Prime Ministerial deputy and developed a close relationship with David Cameron, a man whose name he could barely bring himself to utter only a short time ago. His challenge now is to find a way for his party to remain loyal to the coalition yet retain a distinct identity

  1.  (+3) Danny Alexander

Chief Secretary to the Treasury

As Nick Clegg’s closest political ally, Alexander has wielded huge influence over the last year. Only five years ago he was a press officer in the Cairngorms National Park but in late May this year he was thrust into the political spotlight when he was nominated by Nick Clegg to take over the ministerial position freed up by the resignation of David Laws. A nervous media performer he still looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights. The next twelve months will tell whether he has it in him to make the grade as a front rank politicians.

  1. (-) Chris Huhne

Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change

Huhne became the latest Liberal Democrat to survive a mini sex scandal when he left his wife a few months ago for fellow LibDem Carina Trimingham. A key power broker, Clegg was careful to include him in the coalition negotiating team and the reward him with a senior ministerial post. Quietly effective, Huhne has forged strong relations with his Tory coalition partners and is reveling in his new post.

  1.  (-3) Vince Cable

Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills

Cable’s star is on the wane, as is his influence. His reputation as an economic sage took a hit during several interviews, especially one with Andrew Neil, but he still emerged fighting and is now an important part of the Coalition Cabinet. His hangdog expression constantly gives rise to media speculation about his happy he really is in his post and he’s tipped by many to be the first principled resignation of the coalition, yet his colleagues protest that he is perfectly content and relishes wielding power in an important economic department.  

  1. (+22) Jonathan Oates

Chief of Staff to the Deputy Prime Minister

Oates  did a good job in refashioning the whole LibDem communications structure  before returning to the private sector in 2009. However, Nick Clegg persuaded him to return for the election and he played a key part in ensuring Clegg put in strong performances during the three prime ministerial debates. His ability to think strategically is said to have quickly gained the respect of Andy Coulson and is playing an important role in organizing the Deputy Prime Minister’s office.

  1. (+17) Simon Hughes

Deputy Leader

After twenty years as a leading player in LibDem politics – often described as the best leader they never had - Hughes’s star was very much on the wane. Yet having won he party’s deputy leadership election in June is has found a new lease of life and his role as ‘conscience of the party’ is giving him a role in which he feels free to critique the coalition and play up to his self-styled role as protector of all things liberal.

  1. (+5)  Polly MacKenzie

Deputy Director of Strategy, Number 10 Downing Street

One of the LibDems’ brightest young talents, Polly Mackenzie was Clegg’s senior policy adviser when he was Home Affairs Spokesman and resigned her post to be part of his leadership campaign team. She has great influence over policy and writes most of Nick Clegg’s important speeches. Her role as deputy to Steve Hilton in Downing Street has seen her catapulted to the centre of the coalition, where she remains one of Clegg’s closest and most trusted advisers.

  1. (+1) Lord McNally

Minister of State, Ministry of Justice

A genial figure, Lord McNally started political life as head of James Callaghan’s political office. Elected to the Commons in 1979 he defected to the SDP two years later. He was one of the key players in the overthrow of Charles Kennedy. He was elected leader of LibDem peers unopposed, succeeding Shirley Williams in 2004. He was a successful leader of LibDem peers and is now experiencing an autumn revival as deputy to Ken Clarke.

  1. (-3) David Laws

Former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, LibDem MP for Yeovil

David Laws might have been expected to drop further down the list, but the fact is that his influence is still very strong within both coalition parties. He is said to be regularly consulted by his successor as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, and the publication of his book on the coalition in November will see him once again in the headlines – this time for the right reasons. He is widely expected to return to ministerial ranks within twelve months.

  1. (+15) Steve Webb

Minister of State for Pensions

Deeply cerebral, Webb was tipped as a possible leadership candidate in the last LibDem leadership election, but decided instead to back Nick Clegg.  He got his reward by being appointed to his dream role as Pensions Minister at the Department of Work & Pensions. Widely seen to be on the left of the party, Webb is acknowledged as an expert in his field by politicians across the political divides. If he makes a success of his current job, he could well rise to yet dizzier heights.

  1.  (-7) Chris Fox

Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats

Chris Fox is a widely liked and admired figure within the Liberal Democrats and has overseen a complete shakeup in the party’s organization.  He has driven through some controversial reforms using a mix of charm, stubbornness and private sector know how. His role in the  next twelve months will be less organizationally related. Instead, he’s the one who will be trying to raise much needed funds to keep the cash-strapped party afloat. Fox falls in this year’s list purely because the role of chief executive takes on less importance outside an election period.

  1. (-2) Lord Ashdown

Leader of the LibDems 1988-1999

It was Ashdown who led the LibDems to an electoral breakthrough in 1997 and for that reason alone he is revered by LibDems. Of the former leaders, he is closest to Nick Clegg. Intrinsically anti-Tory, he, together with Ming Campbell, led a rearguard action to try to persuade Nick Clegg to give Labour a real chance in the coalition negotiations. His pleas fell on deaf ears and for that reason alone he has to fall marginally in this year’s chart.

  1. (NEW) Michael Moore

Secretary of State for Scotland

Michael Moore has been thought of as one of the great plodders of LibDem politics. No one was more surprised than he to find himself in the cabinet. Having held a succession of junior frontbench roles for the LibDems and failing to shine in a brief interregnum in the LibDems top lineup when Ming Campbell was ill, some are at a loss to explain his sudden promotion. But he’s a safe pair of hands in a job where the definition of success is being able to keep out of trouble. He may be a cautious accountant but like the slow burn Alistair Darling he may surprise in the end.

  1. (-6) John Sharkey

Strategic Advisor to Nick Clegg

John Sharkey was part of the Saatchi & Saatchi team which advised Margaret Thatcher during the 1987 general election campaign. He won many plaudits as chair of the 2010 election campaign. He is very much a man who acts in the shadows, but is recognized as an important influence on Nick Clegg by everyone at LibDem HQ. Clegg rates him so highly he has entrusted him with effectively running the ‘Yes to AV’ campaign 

  1. (NEW) Alastair Carmichael

Chief Whip

Convivial and well liked, the MP for Britain’s most northerly constituency and Deputy Chief Whip in the Commons has not had a typical rise through the ranks. In March of 2008 he resigned from the post of Liberal Democrat Northern Ireland and Scotland Spokesman in order to vote in favour of a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty – one of thirteen colleagues to rebel and two to resign their front bench responsibilities. Clegg, however, quickly reappointed him to the position later the same year.

 

  1. (-3) Tavish Scott

Leader, Scottish Liberal Democrats

Since being was elected leader of the Scottish LibDems two year ago Tavish Scott has faced an uphill struggle to make the party’s voice heard north of the border. The party’s poll ratings have dipped and the general election performance in Scotland was far from noteworthy. With the Scottish Parliament elections next year, if Scott manages to enable the LibDems to maintain their current seats, he will have done well. Few expect them to.   

  1. (+4) Lynne Featherstone

Minister for Equalities, Home Office

Feisty and telegenic, Lynne Featherstone was a leading cheerleader for Chris Huhne and as a consequence had been somewhat sidelined by Nick Clegg. She is one of the LibDems’ foremost bloggers and a doughty constituency campaigner, having overturned a Labour majority of more than 10,000. At this year’s election her majority rocketed to nearly 7,000. Somewhat to her own surprise she was appointed a Minister at the Home Office in charge of equalities. Her ability to garner media coverage could well see her rise much further.

  1. (+8) Norman Lamb

Chief Parliamentary & Political Adviser to Nick Clegg

A doughty campaigner and good frontbench performer, Norman Lamb had been expected to be a health minister, but it is rumoured he was vetoed by Andrew Lansley. Having served as PPS to Charles Kennedy many were surprised at his appointment in a similar but souped up role under Nick Clegg. No one should be surprised if he is appointed a minister in the first coalition reshuffle.

  1. (+11) Alison Suttie

Deputy Chief of Staff and Special Adviser (Political Relations) to Nick Clegg

As head of Nick Clegg’s Private Office, Suttie holds real power and is the real gatekeeper to the LibDem leader. Like Anji Hunter in Tony Blair’s office, she not only controls who gets to see Clegg, she understands what makes the party tick. Suttie and Clegg go back a long way as she worked with him when he was an MEP. She was one of the few people from Ming Campbell’s office who were retained. Clegg places huge faith and trust in her and she plays a crucial role.

 

  1. (-13) Baroness Scott

 

Liberal Democrat President

 

Elected as party president in late 2008 with a substantial majority, Baroness Scott also had the support of a large number of the party’s big-hitters. The role of LibDem President is far from ceremonial, and she plays a key role in reflecting grassroots opinion to the leadership. But there can be little doubt that the role in the year after an election is hardly as vital as in the pre-election period, hence her fall this year. She has announced she will not seek re-election and gives up the office at the end of the year.

 

  1. (NEW) Lord Alderdice

LibDem Leader in the House of Lords

Succeeding Lord McNally as LibDem leader in the House of Lords was never going to be an easy task. Lord Alderdice has, however, made an encouraging start. He isn’t even technically a LibDem, having secured his position in the Lords as leader of the Alliance Party in Northern Ireland between 1987 and 1998.

  1. (NEW) Lena Pietsch

Special Advisor (Press) to Nick Clegg

German national Lena Pietsch is a skilful media handler and played a key role in preparing Nick Clegg for the prime ministerial debates. She and Clegg are known to speak together in her native German when they don’t wish to be overheard. Her new role in Downing Street as deputy to Andy Coulson has seen her totally immersed in the coalition press relations team – by all accounts, to good effect.

  1. (-12) Lord Oakeshott

 

Liberal Democrat Peer

 

A close ally of Chris Huhne, Lord Oakeshott is an economist by training, having once worked for the Kenyan Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. He was a special adviser to the late Roy Jenkins between 1972-76, and also had a stint as a City Councillor in Oxford before becoming a peer in 2000. He is the Lords’ equivalent of Norman Baker and always has an eye for a headline. He is easily the most omnipresent LibDem peer in the media, although his media tartery has underdtandably diminished since the advent of the coalition.

 

  1.  (-10) Evan Harris

Former LibDem MP for Oxford West & Abingdon

One of the doughtiest LibDem campaigners, Harris is an inveterate ‘taker-upper’ of causes. And since he lost his seat at the election he will certainly have more time to do so. Even though he is not in parliament he is often seen as a LibDem spokesman on the media and retains strong support amongst the LibDem grassroots members. He is seen as a spokesman for the left of the party.

  1.  (-10) Baroness Williams

Former Leader of the LibDems in the House of Lords

Although she no longer holds an official position, Shirley Williams is seen as the Grandmother of the Liberal Democrats, as well as a national treasure. She exerts huge influence on LibDem Peers, which was amply demonstrated in their stance on the Lisbon Treaty, which ran counter to that of the party leadership. After Nick Clegg and Charles Kennedy she is probably the LibDems’ most recognized face on TV.

  1. (NEW) Richard Reeves

Special Adviser to Nick Clegg

One of Britain’s leading centre left thinkers, Reeves left the comfortable job as head of the think tank Demos to take a central role in Nick Clegg’s private office. Someone described him as the “left half of Clegg’s brain”. He burnished his liberal credentials with a well reviewed biography of John Stuart Mill, but he is a figure of suspicion among grassroots activists as he has apparently not been a card carrying member of the party and in 2008 he suggested that self-styled social liberals (a sizeable proportion of the party’s activists) should go and join the Labour Party

  1. (-9) Duncan Brack

Special Advisor to Chris Huhne

Former LibDem Policy Director Brack is one of the few LibDems who everybody seems not only to like but also to respect. He was for a number of years a research programme head at Chatham House and more recently was behind the Reinventing the State book, which challenged the more liberal economic position of the Orange Book crowd. He gave up his powerful position as Chair of the LibDem Conference Committee in May to take on the job of advising Chris Huhne on climate change. He continues to edit the Journal of Liberal History.

  1. (NEW) Andrew Stunell

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department of Communities & Local Government

One of the more obscure LibDem MPs, Stunell presided as a benign Chief Whip in the last parliament and now finds himself working under Eric Pickles as a junior minister in the DCLG. He has a local government background having been political secretary of the Association of Liberal Democrat for seven years in the 1990s. He also spoke from the LibDem front bench on the subject for four years in the 2005 Parliament.

  1. (+4) Richard Kemp

 

Leader, Local Government Association Liberal Democrats

 

Leader of the LibDems in the LGA, Deputy Chairman of the LGA Executive and a councillor for Liverpool’s inner city wards since 1975, Kemp has a clear and long-held desire to see localism put into practice through devolving Whitehall’s power, and to encourage greater public involvement in grass-roots politics. Not afraid to throw his weight around.

 

  1. (-8) Lord Shutt

Government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords

A Life Peer since 2000, David Shutt figures prominently on this list not just because of his role as chief whip in the Lords. He is also chairman of the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, which has become a large provider of funds to the LibDems in recent years, to the tune of several millions of pounds.

  1. (-11) Paul Burstow

Minister of State, Department of Health

Burstow spent two years as LibDem Health spokesman but was dropped by Charles Kennedy after the 2005 election. A year later he was elected Chief Whip by LibDems MPs following Ming Campbell’s election as LibDem leader. He established a reputation for firmness in a party where whipping is considered as difficult as herding cats. His appointment as a minister at the Health Department was considered a surprise, but he is said to have established a good working relationship with his fellow Conservative ministers.

  1. (NEW) Nick Harvey

Minister of State, Ministry of Defence

Despite being comparatively young Nick Harvey is seen as a Liberal Democrat old stager, having first been elected in 1992 in Jeremy Thorpe’s old seat. His self parodying style likened to something out of Jeeves and Wooster belies a sharp tactical mind.  He was probably one of the few MPs considered capable of serving in the most Conservative government department, defence. His appointment as a senior LibDem Minister at the Ministry of Defence put many Tory noses out of joint.

  1. (NEW) David Heath

Deputy Leader of the House of Commons

One of the few LibDems MPs who seems to be popular across the party – maybe it’s because he has a beard and appears avuncular. A leading constitutional reformist, Heath was expected to lose his seat to the glamorous Conservative Annunziata Rees-Mogg, but he defied expectations and increased his majority to 1,819. He was sacked from the LibDem front bench for defying the whip and supporting a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, but was reappointed a year later.

  1. (NEW) Tim Farron

LibDem MP for Westmorland & Lonsdale

Tim Farron is a politician who knows how to reach the G spot of the Liberal Democrats and is considered on the party’s best speakers. He belongs to the Norman Lamb school of constituency campaigning and has turned his one time safe Conservative seat into a safe LibDem one. He is seen as a leading rebel and hasn’t been shy in expressing criticism of the coalition. Having run against Simon Hughes for the party’s deputy leadership he’s established himself as a front line player. He has just announced his candidacy for the party’s presidency, a position of some power and influence.

  1. (+14) Fiona Hall

 

Leader, UK Liberal Democrat MEPs

 

A second-term MEP, Hall worked for several LibDem MPs from the mid-1990s before winning election to the European Parliament in 2004. She was elected as leader of the LibDem delegation in Brussels in 2009. Her work, both as an MEP and externally, has focused on renewable energy and climate change.

 

  1. (-1) Ed Davey

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department of Business, Innovation & Skills

Davey had been seen as a rising star of the LibDems, but his role as Foreign Affairs spokesman was not considered a success. Indeed, he is rumoured to have got the job because Chris Huhne turned it down. His appointment on the lowest ministerial rung of the ladder seemed to prove how low he had sunk. However, his work prior to becoming an MP as an economist advising on post office systems means he is back in his comfort zone and is the man the coalition is trusting to see the Royal Mail privatization bill through parliament. If he can achieve that and emerge unscathed he may well shoot up next year’s list.

 

 

  1.  (-20) Lord Lester

LibDem Peer

The co-founder of the anti discrimination think tank the Runnymede Trust, Lord Lester was also known as a close acolyte of Roy Jenkins. He joined Gordon Brown’s Government of All the Talents as an adviser on constitutional reform. He is better known as a human rights lawyer than a Liberal Democrat but with the civil liberties agenda at the heart of the coalition government his job in that field may be complete. His latest project is to reform Britain’s outdated libel laws.

 

 

  1. (-14) Norman Baker

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport

The maverick’s maverick, Baker is seen as an obsessive, even by his party colleagues. He published a book asserting that Dr David Kelly was murdered. He’s viewed as the very antithesis of a team player, but is an effective media operator despite his less than matinee idol looks.  Some think he is getting a reputation as a rent-a-quote, a reputation which was burnished during the MP expenses scandal when he seemed to have a view on every case of misdoing. His appointment as a junior Transport Minister was viewed by many as an attempt to buy his silence. If so, it failed.

  1. (-9) Sarah Teather

Minister of State, Department of Education

A sparky media performer, the diminutive Sarah Teather has never really matched up to her potential following her famous by-election win in Brent East in 2003. However, when electoral boundary changes rendered her seat apparently unwinnable she decided to stay put. T her credit, she won and was then given the plumb job as deputy to Michael Gove. She was said to have found the early weeks as a minister very difficult, but she is now beginning to find her feet. But she is still viewed by many of her colleagues as a lightweight, a reputation she would do well to dispel if she is to climb the ministerial ladder to even greater heights.

  1. (+2) Mark Pack

Co-editor, Liberal Democrat Voice

Mark Pack is a key player in the LibDem blogosphere and one of the main contributers to the successful Liberal Democrat Voice blog, on which he plays the part of attack dog, with a constant stream of blogposts highlighting scandals in other parties. He left his job at LibDem HQ to take up a position with a communications consultancy, but is still a figure of influence behind the scenes. He is a close political ally of LibDem online supremo Lynne Featherstone. He is increasingly used by the BBC and Sky News as a pundit.

 

  1. (-12) Lord Carlile

Liberal Democrat peer

A former LibDem MP for Montgomeryshire (1983-97), Alex Carlile is now better known as the Government’s independent reviewer of anti-terror legislation and a leading QC. He caused consternation among his LibDem colleagues by supporting the Labour government’s line on 42 days detention for terror suspects. He successfully defended Paul Burrell against charges that he had stolen items from the estate of Princess Diana.

  1. (NEW) Lord Wallace

Liberal Democrat peer & Advocate General for Scotland

If the LibDems had men in grey suits, they would be led by Jim Wallace. It’s no stretch of the imagination to believe that had Jim Wallace not existed, the coalition talks may have floundered. The LibDem negotiating team took advice from Wallace’s experience creating a Lib/Lab coalition in the early years of the Scottish Parliament. His robust stance and experience on fighting elections as the leader of a minority party in government makes him uniquely useful.

 

  1. (NEW) Jeremy Browne

Minister of State, Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Possibly the most right wing Liberal Democrat MP in the House of Commons, he is viewed with huge suspicion by the beard and sandals brigade – and with good reason. He holds firm free market convictions and is the nearest thing the LibDems have to a Eurosceptic, hence the reason William Hague was happy for him to join his FCO ministerial team. Has been a solid performer so far.

  1. (-8) Sir Menzies Campbell

Leader of the Liberal Democrats, 2006-7

Ming Campbell remains a popular figure in the media on foreign policy issues, but his influence on the LibDems is decreasing with every passing month. Indeed, like Charles Kennedy (who disappears completely from this year’s list) he is largely marginalized. He struggles to keep silent on his antipathy to the coalition but doesn’t always succeed. But nowadays, few people notice.

  1. (NEW) Julia Goldsworthy

Special Advisor to Danny Alexander

Somewhat to everyone’s surprise, including her own, Julia Goldsworthy lost her seat at the election to the Conservative, George Eustice. She had been seen as a rising star in the early years of the 2005 parliament, but seemed to lose her way as the election drew closer. Immediately after the election she seemed set for a career in media punditry, but when Danny Alexander replaced David Laws he immediately asked her to work for him. She will no doubt seek to return to parliament at the first available opportunity.

  1. (NEW) Olly Grender

Media Pundit & Former LibDem Director of Communications

Olly Grender hs become the LibDem pundit of choice for a media desperate to find talking heads who can explain the LibDem point of view. A former speech writer and Director of Communications for the Liberal Democrats under Paddy Ashdown's leadership, she was Director of Communications for Shelter the homelessness charity.  Her regular appearances on Newsnight and her calmness under pressure have led to suggestions that she might one day adorn the LibDem benches in the Lords.

 

  1. (NEW) Sean Kemp

Deputy Head of Press, Number 10 Downing Street

With a background in journalism and a nose for a story, Sean Kemp is a trusted contact for the media within No10.  His hard-hitting and questioning style became an essential part of the preparation of Nick Clegg for the leadership debates.  He also held his nerve as the then Head of Media under the onslaught from the media against the party.  He, Pietsch and Oates have formed a tight knit team which is strong on trust and fast moving when necessary.  He has earned the respect of Coulson and the media in his new role at No10.

 

  1. (NEW) Colin Firth

Actor

Every party likes to have a little celebrity star dust sprinkled on it and the LibDems are no exception. Colin Firth ‘came out’ as a Liberal Democrat in 2009 and appeared with Nick Clegg at some campaign functions.

  1. (NEW) Miriam Gonzalez-Durantez

Wife of the Deputy Prime Minister

Mirian Gonzalez-Durantez is no ordinary politician’s wife.  For a start she turned her nose up at the usual campaigning in the election and got on with her high flying corporate lawyer day job, describing the media interest as “patronizing”.  As a former EU official and the daughter of a Spanish Senator, her knowledge of the world of politics rivals her husband’s.  She is renowned for knowing her own mind with a thick skin in contrast to her stylish looks.  Clegg definitely seeks her advice and pillow talk in this household is likely to be highly political. 

 

  1.  (-12) Kirsty Williams

 

Leader, Welsh Liberal Democrats

 

A vocal member of the Welsh Assembly, Williams became Wales’ first female party leader when she was elected at the end of 2008. Having joined the Liberal party at the age of just 15, Williams is clearly something of a die-hard: she was a staunch campaigner for a Welsh Assembly in the 1997 referendum, and became an Assembly Member in its first ever election in 1999. She is struggling to give the Welsh Lib Dems a new identity as they approach the 2011 Assembly elections. If the LibDems hold on to their 6 seats, they will have done well.