Leader's wife 'Blair' moment

As her husband struggles to shake off speculation over his leadership Lady Campbell followed in the footsteps of the former PM’s wife by making a potentially embarrassing slip too close to journalists.

The couple were at the Grand Hotel in Brighton yesterday when they bumped into Sheffield Hallam MP Mr Clegg.

He has been embroiled in controversy after revealing he would like to run for the leadership when Sir Menzies stands down.

He made his feelings clear in an interview with The Star on Monday, then told a fringe event at the party’s annual conference on Tuesday: “If you are asking me, ‘Would I throw my hat in the ring if there was vacancy in the future?’, I probably would.”

Yesterday Lady Campbell could not resist ribbing him when the trio met.

The exchange, caught on camera by ITV News, started with her joking: “I don’t know if you’re being helpful or not.”

A slightly abashed Mr Clegg replied: “I’m trying to be.”

Sir Menzies then sprang to his frontbencher’s defence say-ing: “He’s being very helpful.”

Mr Clegg has also been given a sideswipe by MP Chris Huhne - regarded as his only other credible competitor.

He told reporters it was “very premature” to be talking about a leadership contest and said he was not the sort of person “who plans their route map to Downing Street from the day they came out of nappies”.