EASTLEIGH MP Chris Huhne yesterday stoked speculation over the Liberal Democrat leadership as he left the door open for a second run at the top job.

After finishing runner-up in last year's contest Mr Huhne, pictured, pledged his full backing to winner Sir Menzies Campbell.

But a dismal opinion poll earlier this week has triggered fresh questions over the effectiveness of Sir Menzies' leadership and refocused the spotlight on his two most likely successors - Nick Clegg, the party's home affairs spokesman, and Mr Huhne.

Premature' On Tuesday evening Mr Clegg told a fringe meeting at the Lib Dems' autumn conference in Brighton that he would "probably" stand for party leader when Sir Menzies stepped down.

Yesterday Mr Huhne told reporters: "There's no vacancy. It would be premature to even talk about the possibility of there being a vacancy."

But in an apparent attempt to stay in the running for the succession, he failed to take the opportunity to rule himself out as a future candidate.

In the last leadership contest, in March 2006, Mr Huhne received 21,628 votes to Sir Menzies' 29,697 after second preferences were counted.