After only 18 months in the position, Sir Menzies Campbell has resigned as leader of the Liberal Democrats. Stating in his resignation letter that he had achieved his objectives as leader and that his party required "radical revision", the 66 year-old stepped down from his position last night.
He held a meeting with MPs yesterday, and upon realising that support for him was waning, he decided to quit.
The Lib Dem leader had been subjected to constant taunts by the media, with one newspaper cartoonist depicting him as elderly and wheelchair-bound. But Sir Menzies saw his age as an advantage, telling his party that it granted him experience and judgement beyond his opponents. Despite this, his was seen as the 'Old Man' of British politics, and seemed to be a lot less forceful than the Prime Minister, or the youthful David Cameron.
Nominations for his successor will last until the end of the month, with his predecessor, Charles Kennedy, looking to get back into the leadership.
The media has been criticised for their jibes about Mr. Campbell's age, and it has been suggested that they played a big part in his eventual decision to quit.
However, life's not all bad for Sir Ming, as it is reported that he has received a £40,000 advance for his memoirs, and that the Prime Minister is said to be considering employing him as an advisor.