Rt. Hon Charles Kennedy MP (Liberal Democrat, Ross, Skye and Lochaber) - Former Leader of the Liberal Democrats
The Rt Hon Charles Kennedy is Liberal Democrat MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber. He was first elected to Parliament at the 1983 General Election, and at 24 years old he was the youngest MP of the time. Charles Kennedy was elected UK Party President, the equivalent of party chairman, in 1990, and served in that post until 1994. In August 1999 he was elected as the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, and he was appointed to the Privy Council in October 1999.
During his period as Leader, Charles took the Liberal Democrats to their strongest electoral position in 80 years, winning 63 seats at the 2005 General Election and winning 22% of the national vote. Charles stood down as Leader of the Party in January 2006. In September 2006 Charles Kennedy was elected as a Vice-President of Liberal International. In September 2007 Charles Kennedy was unanimously elected President of the European Movement in Britain. He is a candidate to be Rector of Glasgow University.
