Kennedy takes over Lib-Dem campaign

Charles Kennedy is to take control of the Liberal Democrats' mayoral campaign in an attempt to shore up the party's faltering support in the capital.

In a major rebuff to candidate Simon Hughes, the Lib-Dem leader has summoned his campaign team for a dressing down.

Mr Kennedy used a recent meeting of the parliamentary party to make plain his dissatisfaction with the Lib-Dems' performance in London.

His intervention follows widespread unease that Mr Hughes's campaign has failed to make ground against Conservative candidate Steve Norris.

An Evening Standard poll this week placed Mr Hughes, the MP for Bermondsey, in third place on 17 per cent of the likely vote, compared with 27 per cent for Mr Norris and 41 per cent for Ken Livingstone.

Liberal Democrat strategists believe the party has failed to capitalise on last year's victory in the Brent East by-election.

There are also concerns the poor performance in London will take the shine off any Lib-Dem advances in the local and European elections also taking place on 10 June.

Mr Hughes defended his campaign, telling the Independent: "The public have not started to look seriously at the elections yet. We are getting very good feedback from the ground."