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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2006 4:57:51 GMT -5
Mark Oaten resigning from the Liberal Democrat front bench over an alleged affair with a rent boy was "extremely regrettable", a senior MP has said. A newspaper claimed the father-of-two, who quit as home affairs spokesman, had a relationship with a 23-year-old man.
Lib Dem leadership hopeful Chris Huhne said it was regrettable but "if you take a high-profile role, then you are going to be subject to scrutiny".
Mr Oaten, MP for Winchester, apologised to his family and appealed for privacy.
The move came just weeks after Charles Kennedy quit as party leader after confessing to alcohol problems.
In a statement 41-year-old Mr Oaten said: "I have stood down as home affairs spokesman for the party.
"I would like to apologise for errors of judgement in personal behaviour and for the embarrassment caused, firstly to my family but also to my friends, my constituents and my party.
"I will not be commenting further at this time and would now ask for some space and personal privacy for me and my family."
Mr Huhne told the BBC the implications of Mr Oaten's resignation for the party "should not be overestimated".
He said: "We are a big party and we have an abundance of talent."
Mr Huhne also said he hoped to see Charles Kennedy back on the Lib Dem front bench.
BBC political correspondent Carole Walker said the resignation "brings more unwelcome headlines for the Liberal Democrats, just as they were trying to move on after the bitter upheaval of Charles Kennedy's departure and his admission of a drinking problem."
The leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords - Lord McNally - has also admitted that he was an alcoholic.
Revelations about Mr Oaten were made in the News of the World.
That newspaper's managing editor, Stuart Kuttner, said Mr Oaten had been confronted with details of a relationship with a 23-year-old rent boy.
Keith Gladdis, Whitehall editor of the News of the World, justified the paper's story and said: "Mark Oaten is an MP, an MP who has been elected on a platform of being a family man.
"He's also an MP who's a frontbench spokesman - a frontbench spokesman who then went on to stand as a potential leader of the Liberal Democrat party. That is someone who quite clearly has a public life."
When standing down as a Lib Dem leadership challenger on Thursday, Mr Oaten said the remaining three contenders all "had much more support" among MPs.
His withdrawal leaves Sir Menzies Campbell, Chris Huhne and Simon Hughes as the remaining candidates.
Deputy home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael will temporarily take over Mr Oaten's party role.
from bbc.co.uk
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Post by Moorish on Jan 23, 2006 5:55:51 GMT -5
I can't believe this Oaten guy -- why the hell did he run? Surely he must have KNOWN that someone would find this out about him. This is England for Christ's sake! We INVENTED the kind of journalists that do this shit all day every day. I think he was mental to even throw his name in in the first place.
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