Letter: Lib Dem battle

Sir: It is good to see The Independent being first to the surprise story of the political summer - that Simon Hughes will win the Lib Dem leadership.

Activists inside the party have become increasingly convinced of this as the campaign has progressed. We have watched with amazement how wrongly the majority of the press have read the campaign and how willing they have been to accept the Kennedy camp's spinning for Charles.

Here in the North-east the majority of constituency chairs and group leaders are supporting Simon Hughes. Even more significantly for an election conducted under the alternative vote is the fact that supporters of David Rendel, Malcolm Bruce and Jackie Ballard are almost universally placing Simon second. Charles is, rightly or wrongly, seen as far too close to Labour.

In the unlikely event of a Kennedy victory on the back of armchair members' votes, his first task will be to secure the activists' confidence.

RONNIE BEADLE

Deputy Chair, Northern Region Lib Dems

Gateshead