FORMER Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy, who died late on Monday aged 55, left a political bombshell behind him — he wanted to start a new left-wing Scottish party.

Alastair Campbell made the astonishing assertion in a tribute yesterday to Mr Kennedy, who had allegedly texted the former New Labour chief spin doctor saying: “Fancy starting a new Scottish left-leaning party? I joke not.”

The text came after Mr Kennedy lost his parliamentary seat to the SNP in last month’s general election.