RIP Charles Kennedy.

Shocked and upset to hear of the death of Charles Kennedy, former leader of the Lib Dems at just 55. He was that rare thing – a politician genuinely loved and respected on all sides of the House. Back in the 90s, I got to know him quite well. I was going out with a girl called Rosie and he was going out with her sister. He was a real bon vivant – kind, witty and charming and I always looked forward to seeing him. Eventually, of course, his well-known battle with alcoholism impaired his ability to lead his party which was a tragedy for British politics. My fondest memory is of sitting outside a great restaurant in Brook Green where he’d booked a table for four – and insisted on paying – for my birthday. He told me this was his favourite record. And I know that Charles Kennedy was a lot of people’s favourite MP.