One Liberal Democrat who must have felt the party’s local election hurt harder than most is Hampstead and Kilburn parliamentary candidate Maajid Nawaz.

His challenge of getting elected in next year’s general election is now tougher than ever if the party’s drubbing in Brent and Camden is anything to go by, which it surely must be.

Heathman found a lone Mr Nawaz taking stock of the Lib Dems’ fate in a corner of Somers Town Community Sports Centre towards the end of the Camden vote count on Friday night.

He cut a dejected figure but when asked how he intended to come back from such a miserable night at the polls, Mr Nawaz insisted he had an “extra factor” as an individual candidate that could overcome his party’s waning popularity.

“That’s going to be something that the other two don’t have,” he told Heathman. “It’s the reason why I’ve already had promises from Labour members saying, ‘We are going to host dinners for you in the constituency’.

“It’s the reason why Simon Marcus, when he was interviewed by Al Jazeera that time, said he’s not sure he can win. They are worried about that extra factor.

“This Wednesday I’m being interviewed on Matt Forde’s show, that comedy show. He’s a Labour member. I’m the only PPC he’s ever invited to interview on that show because he contacted me to say he loves my book, that’s the sort of image which I’m going to have to try to magnify in this campaign. It’s going to be hard but I’ve got a year ahead to do that.”

He added there are “very serious” talks under way with a television production company about screening a version of his autobiography.

“So there’s going to be a lot around what I bring to politics and I’m hoping that people wider in the constituency begin to understand who I am and what I bring.”