DUNCAN Hames has paid tribute to the ‘generous’ and ‘charming’ former Liberal Democrat MP Charles Kennedy, who died on Monday aged 55.

Mr Kennedy, who lost his seat in last month's election, died at his home in Fort William but police are not treating it as suspicious. His family said they were devastated to lose a ‘fine man and loving father’.

He visited Wiltshire on several occasions including in 2004, when he walked the streets of Chippenham to raise the profile of the party, which at the time was trying to wrestle the seat from the Conservative’s James Gray, who was re-elected as MP for North Wiltshire last month.

The pair also had history together as Mr Kennedy won the seat for Ross, Cromarty and Sky from Mr Gray in 1992.

In 2005, during a visit to Burnham House Nursing Home in Malmesbury, he ‘wooed’ 90-year-old Mary Wicks, who presented him with a hand-knitted cardigan and booties for his week-old son Donald.

He visited Chippenham Town Football Club in 2010 and in 2009 he met farmers, including Wiltshire Times columnist and National Farmers Union chairman Denise Plummer, in Bradford on Avon.

Today David Cameron led tributes to Mr Kennedy in the House of Commons, who had been serving as an MP for 32 years when he was ousted last month as the SNP swept the board north of the border, calling him the "most human of politicians" and - at his best - "the best that politics can be".

MPs from across the political spectrum shared their memories of the ex-Highland MP's "courageous" opposition to the Iraq War, his compassion, his humour and his ability to connect with people of all backgrounds. Mr Kennedy's ex-wife, Sarah, and son, Donald, looked on from one of the side galleries,

And Mr Hames issued his own tribute, saying: “Charles was a generous and much-loved member of the Liberal Democrat family, and an exceptional politician.

"Sharp wits, skilled in debate, with a wisdom gained from the perspective of over 30 years in Parliament; he was all those things, but frankly, what made him truly exceptional was the warm and gentle rapport he so quickly established with people everywhere.

“This made ‘Chat Show Charlie’ (a rebuke which was far more of a compliment than his detractors ever realised), also the effortless exponent of the political walkabout.

"I fondly remember some years ago one birthday of mine spent with him on the campaign trail: we arrived late at an independent baker’s having taken far longer than planned talking with anyone and everyone all the way down the high street.

"They don’t do it like that anymore. It seemed everyone wanted to chat to Charles, and the birthday cake which had been lovingly crafted was suddenly presented – to him.

"Without a moment’s hesitation, Charles swept his finger through the cream and icing, licked it enthusiastically in front of the massed cameras, and declared it ‘very good indeed’.

“That relaxed charm, combined with the courage to lead the Liberal Democrats away from the consensus in the House of Commons, won him an unforgettable audience in 2003 on the march against the then imminent Iraq war.

"For nearly two million of us, young and old, it was a formative experience of people-powered politics, and his calm conviction made us proud.

“As Paddy Ashdown recognised this week, Charles was ‘the best of us’, though he himself preferred to be known as ‘a fully paid-up member of the human race’. I’m so sad that we will no longer benefit from his good humour, inspiration, or sage advice.”

The online book of condolence for Charles Kennedy is at www.libdems.org.uk/book-of-condolence-charles-kennedy