The Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Helen Flynn, has clarified her views on the future of Nick Clegg leading the party.
This follows national debate after Libdem lost 11 of its 12 MEPs.
Helen Flynn was interviewed by the BBC and was quoted saying “Our (LibDems) electoral prospects, in my opinion, would probably be higher if Nick Clegg was not our leader – that is a fair position for me to be in.”
Also on Sky, Mrs Flynn was asked if Clegg should stand down and responded “He should consider his position bearing in mind the huge losses.”
In a further statement today (27 May 2014) Helen Flynn has sought to clarify her position.
Helen Flynn said: I have not ever called on Clegg to resign.
Having suffered a disastrous set of EU Election results on Sunday, it is vital the the Liberal Democrat team, centrally, review the failed communications strategy for the campaign with immediate effect so that what went wrong in terms of communication and messaging can be identified and lessons can be learned.
Part of that process obviously involves accountability, and as Nick Clegg was the voice and face of the campaign, his position must be considered.
There should not be sudden, knee-jerk announcements made, in my opinion.
Rather a sober and rational analysis needs to take place of what went wrong and what we need to do as a party to make sure we improve our electoral prospects going forwards.
I joined this party six years ago, coming from a business background, because I associate most strongly with the set of values that Liberal Democracy represents.
My main concern now is that no blockage stands in the way of how those values and that message is communicated, particularly given the rise of the far right in this country and many parts of Europe.
The rational review I am calling for should address what went wrong and how we can move forwards in a positive way.
Actions should then follow the analysis and consequent decisions. I cannot obviously say at this time what those actions should be.
The response given by Helen Flynn to the question posed on Sky news was a clear thumbs down for Nick Clegg. The euphemism “consider his position” is just another way of saying resign it is as simple as that. If Clegg does not resign I wonder if Helen will consider her position as parliamentary spokesperson for the Lib Dems in Harrogate and Knaresborough.