The Lib Dem big hitters pushing Clegg towards Labour

Today’s papers have the lowdown on the events of the past few days, and one thing is becoming increasingly clear: a Lib-Con deal faces not just the opposition of the Lib Dem base, but also some of the party’s most influential figures.  In a Times account of a Lib Dem meeting yesterday, it’s revealed that Sir Menzies Cambell “urged his successor not to bind the party into a irrevocable deal with the Tories.”  Meanwhile, the Telegraph reports that “Vince Cable played a significant role in resisting an agreement [with the Tories].”  And Paddy Ashdown was across the airwaves this morning, explaining how a Lib-Lab coalition could provide “stability” and “legitimacy,” against a “rabidly anti-European” Tory party.

Signs are, we’re witnessing a strange Lib Dem power clash.  Nick Clegg is perhaps the most naturally right-leaning leader in his party’s modern history, and someone who – as Rachel Sylvester observes – has good “chemistry” with David Cameron.