Mark Pack

In what has become a regular of party conference season, the Daily Telegraph has published a list of the 50 most influential Liberal Democrats assembled by “Iain Dale, Brian Brivati and a team of Liberal Democrat insiders”:

As one MP put it, the year has been “about the rise of the left”. Confidence in the party outside Westminster has grown even as polling numbers remained minimal. Liberal Democrats seem to have discovered that even in government the world does not end if you disagree. And this has given rise to a new breed of rebel, personified in Tim Fallon, Lib Dem President and the leading establishment rebel (up 31 places to number three).

Amongst the new entrants are Julian Astle, in at number 26 following his appointment as Deputy Head of the No.10 Policy Unit (to cover Polly Mackenzie’s maternity leave) and Olly Grender, in at number 28 following her appointment as Head of Press for the Deputy Prime Minister (to cover Lena Pietsch’s maternity leave).

So far only 26-50 are listed on the Telegraph website, which you can read here. 1-25 will appear on Monday night.

And, ahem, I’m up 1 to number 39, which of course in no way influences my view of the rankings. 39 is, the internet tells me, a cursed number according to Afghani superstition.