Sir Menzies “Ming” Campbell was the Liberal Democrat MP for North East Fife from 1987. He was the leader of his party from March 2006 to October 2007
Why are you standing down now?
I shall be 74 in May, and we now have [fixed-term] five-year parliaments, so I’d be 79 at the end. I’d hate to be someone whom people remembered as doddering around. I’d rather go out still able to do the job to a degree that satisfies me, and, I hope, my constituents.
What’s been your proudest moment as an MP?
The second Gulf war, that’s the most significant political thing I’ve been engaged with. We took the decision – not an easy decision – that we were going to thoroughly oppose it, and there were some sleepless nights for me and for [Liberal Democrat leader] Charles [Kennedy]. All it needed was a company of American marines to discover two tanks of anthrax – our position would have been wholly undermined. So it was a big risk, but we thought it was right and we thought [the war] wasn’t legal.
At the time, hadn’t you recently been diagnosed with cancer?
I had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and they put me on a programme of chemotherapy that was very intense, so I stayed in Scotland and watched the BBC, Sky, CNN and, I think, Fox. So I was a thoroughly informed armchair general and politician.
Do you have mixed feelings about your time as Liberal Democrat leader?
My leadership was not exactly untroubled, put it that way. But by the end I thought I was right on top of it, and we were ready for the 2007 general election that never was – we’d hammered out the manifesto. Having marched us up to the top of the hill, and marched us down again, Brown had to go to the end of the parliament in 2010. At that stage I would be 69 and, if there were reflections on my age at 66, there were sure as hell going to be more at 69.
Was some of the criticism of you ageist?
There was ageism. I had one or two faltering starts at prime minister’s questions. Of course, if you’re the Labour leader or the Conservative leader, roughly speaking 50% of the house is with you. If you’re a Liberal Democrat, 90% of the house is against you. And there’s nothing more stimulating in this business of ours than the smell of blood. So I had to come through that.
How do you think Nick Clegg has done?
I’m a great admirer of Clegg, he was my pick and he’s astonishingly resilient when you consider some of the stuff that’s written about him. Forming the coalition was a very brave thing to do – it’s no secret I had some reservations – but if you’re in the ex-leaders club your duty is to follow your leader. If you’ve been through the fire and brimstone yourself, then you really have a duty to ensure that your successor is not subject to that.
Does your sympathy extend to leaders of all parties?
Oh God, yes. We do have a certain amount in common.
Who is the toughest political interviewer?
I’ve always liked being interviewed by [John] Humphrys and [Jeremy] Paxman. You know what you’re getting into with them. But the most dangerous is the 23-year-old hotshot on Three Counties Radio who thinks he can deflate some pompous grownup from London. That’s the real risk: you get provoked by some whippersnapper, because someone’s really cheeky, then three minutes later it’s on every radio station in the country.
What’s next?
I’m going to try to get my German up to speed, and do some IT courses – I can manage an iPad, but nothing else. I’m going to follow the rugby exploits of my grandsons. My political interest will remain undiminished, but perhaps I’ll go back to my career at the bar.
Are there parallels between being an MP and your previous experience in the law and in athletics (Campbell was the British record holder for the men’s 100 metres from 1967-74)?
I’ve had three competitive lives: you win or lose your race; you win or lose your case; you win or lose your seat. My mother and father would not permit self-importance in our family, but behind this apparently modest exterior I’m actually rather competitive.
