Tailor's son Paul Burstow has now served on the Lib Dems' front bench under three different leaders.

He joined the party from the SDP and was elected MP for Sutton and Cheam in 1997.

He was quickly made a junior frontbench spokesman on local government, and within a few months, Paddy Ashdown appointed him to head the party's frontbench team on local government.

He was party spokesman on older people under Charles Kennedy before taking over the health brief in 2003.

Mr Burstow stepped down from the front bench shortly after the 2005 general election before new leader Menzies Campbell brought him back in March 2006, in the chief whip role.

Married with three children, Mr Burstow is also co-chairman of the all-party group on Ageing and Older People.