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Vince Cable named Lib Dem leader as no other candidate emerges Vince Cable named Lib Dem leader as no other candidate emerges
(about 1 hour later)
Sir Vince Cable has promised to return the Liberal Democrats to “the centre of political life” after officially becoming the party’s new leader on Thursday. Vince Cable has pledged to offer an “exit from Brexit” as the new leader of the Liberal Democrats, signalling he will continue to push his party’s demand for a second referendum on EU membership.
The 74-year-old former business secretary took charge as he was the only candidate on the ballot paper when nominations closed at 4pm. He succeeds Tim Farron, who stood down after a disappointing general election campaign. At a launch event on Thursday, Farron said that his successor was “well and truly strong and Cable”. The 74-year-old former business secretary was named leader as the only candidate on the ballot paper when nominations closed at 4pm on Thursday. Former leader Tim Farron, who stood down after the election citing conflicts with his Christian faith and the demands of leadership, said his successor would be “strong and Cable”.
In his first speech as leader, Cable said that British politics was “more polarised and divided than at any time any of us can remember”. Cable initially had been reticent to endorse calls for a second referendum on the EU but said he was now convinced of the need to give the British people a say on the final Brexit deal, which would include the option to remain.
“My aim is that my party will occupy [the central] space in British politics,” he said. “What we now need is an exit from Brexit,” he said. “The exit from Brexit comes as a result of the policy that we have adopted, which is that we must consult the British public at the end of the process.
Cable said he feared a “disastrous outcome” to the Brexit talks and added that he wanted to work with others in other parties on “a British project” to preserve the single market and the four freedoms. “Voters should be asked, ‘Do you wish to accept what is coming down the track, jumping off the cliff and hoping there’s a tree to catch you, or do we want to stay within the European Union?’”.
The new leader takes charge after the early favourite for the job, Jo Swinson, stood aside and instead became deputy leader. Former cabinet minister Sir Ed Davey said he would not run for family reasons. Cable said British politics was “more polarised and divided than at any time any of us can remember” and said there was a void in the centre of British politics. “My aim is that my party will occupy that space in British politics,” he said.
Cable lost his Twickenham seat in 2015 but returned this year with a majority of almost 10,000. The new leader said he feared a “disastrous outcome” to the Brexit talks and added that he wanted to work with others in other parties on preserve the single market and the four freedoms, including free movement.
Before he handed over to his successor, Farron defended his record as leader, saying that “rumours of our death did not seem exaggerated” after the election in 2015. He went on: “People looked at us and concluded we had lost reason to exist and my purpose was to prove everybody wrong.” However, Cable said he did not want Europe to be the party’s sole focus, particularly given his reputation as an economist. “I came into politics as a radical and a reformer and I want to put at the centre of what I do addressing some of the inequalities that disfigure British society,” he said.
Farron said revivals did not “happen by accident” and added that the party had to fight for its existence. “A revival can only happen if we gave ourselves a reason to be ... if we took a risk, a gamble. We chose to adopt the backbone Jeremy Corbyn lacks, the decisiveness Theresa May lacks and stand up for Britain’s place in Europe.” “I think it can be done because at heart the British public are humane and tolerant and I think we can appeal to that instinct, which is in very marked contrast to the icy indifference of this Conservative government.”
He called his successor a “campaigner and a statesman” and said he understood more than any other party leader what threats the country faced. “This is no time to allow our destiny to be in the hands of fools or extremists,” Farron said. “This is the time for a fresh start.” Though Cable said he would do no pacts or deals with either Labour or the Conservatives, he had some praise for Philip Hammond in his battles with hardline Brexiters in the cabinet, calling the chancellor a “political adult”.
More details soon ... “You’ve got Boris Johnson in short trousers, and Dr Fox in nappies,” said Cable. “In that company he deserves some qualified support.”
He takes charge after the early favourite for the job, Jo Swinson, stood aside and stood instead for deputy leader, where she was again the sole candidate. Former cabinet minister Ed Davey also said he would not run for family reasons and party health spokesman Norman Lamb also declined to run.
The party’s new leadership team are both newly returned as MPs. Cable returns to parliament to lead the party just weeks after regaining his Twickenham seat that he lost in 2015. Swinson too regained her East Dunbartonshire seat in June after losing it in 2015, having been a coalition minister.
The deputy leader said the party was fortunate to have a recognisable face at the helm. “He was a sage on the financial crisis and keeps a calm head in times of crisis,” she said. “When Vince speaks people listen, so our distinctive liberal voice will be heard.”
At the launch, Farron described Swinson as the party’s future, but Cable denied he was a stop-gap leader. “I will serve for as long as I need to,” he said. “I’m not here for the short term, I’m not here as a caretaker.”
Farron praised Cable as a “campaigner and a statesman” who understood the challenges Britain faced more than any other political leader: “This is no time to allow our destiny to be in the hands of fools or extremists. This is the time for a fresh start.”