The woman behind the handbag

Hell hath no fury like a leaders' wife scorned, as Elspeth, Sir Menzies Campbell's wife reminded Nick Clegg yesterday. Like Cherie, she is a serious force behind the leader and in a Times interview last year, he described her as his closest friend in politics.

The smoking ban has meant she has been prominent this year's party conference, standing on the pavement outside the Grand hotel having a cigarette.

As Clegg found to his cost yesterday, she is not afraid to challenge aggressively promote and protect her husband: for instance Elspeth often complains that her husband is a nightmare on holiday. No sooner do they arrive at their destination than he is already fidgeting to get back to work

But she has her slight weaknesses, and her love of the establishment is one of them. One story is that she used every chance encounter with Tony Blair to try to engineer a weekend at Chequers

Comments

[David]

What do the liberals matter anyway? Get some real news.

[Byron]

@ Brian

Undoubtedly Undoubtably isn't a word

[Bryan McGrath]

Undoubtably Elspeth Campbell is part of the problem with Menzies Campbell not part of the solution.

Yet another woman in the mould of Cherie Blair: using their husband to promote their own agenda

[DM]

If Mrs Ming didn't realise her comment to Nick Clegg would be audible, she's an innocent abroad. If she did, she's created an unnecessary stir - but nothing as bad as Bush's 'Yo, Blair!' because Ming and his party will only ever count for much if there's a hung parliament.