Hughes ran a horrific 1983 campaign in Bermondsey that was the most hypocritical and dirty campaign in the history of Liberal low tricks – and that is saying something for the masters of dirty tricks. Liberal activists subsequently admitted going round council estates knocking on doors wearing “I’ve been kissed by Peter Tatchell” badges. Working – class Bermondsey was conned, their prejudices were played to and the Labour candidate, Peter Tatchell, was pummelled.

Hughes had for years denied that the LibDems were responsible for that campaign, then in the last few days he admitted responsibility and said, pathetically, that he had apologised to Peter Tatchell for using ‘an unacceptable form of language‘.

Last week he told the press that he was unlucky in love with the ladies, his spinners referred disingenuously to his “deep-felt Christianity” whilst at the same time gay barmen were hawking stories around the tabloids and Hughes was running up bills on Gay chat-lines. What is it with politicians that they are so contemptuous of the public that think they can lie blatantly to us and then expect to be trusted by us? Hughes is an ambitious, lying politician who has lied to everyone for twenty-two years, why should anyone trust him now? If he had been a Conservative, the apologists for him today would be rightly attacking him for hypocrisy and that 1983 campaign. Now what do they say? They blame The Sun…