Vince Cable Likely New Lib Dem Leader

Vince Cable, the likely new leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, has already set about giving interviews and making preparations for the official announcement of his leadership. In a recent interview with Andrew Marr he said he is “beginning to think Brexit may never happen,” and has said to the Guardian that “the Brexiteers are only just beginning to understand the enormous can of worms they have opened up.”

Cable lost his seat in the 2015 general election, had retired from politics and had taken up writing until the snap election was called and the party asked him to return to campaign for his seat. As every other MP has pledged to support him, he is already in essence the de facto leader.

A chaotic political climate could mean great things for the flailing Lib Dem party, who gained only 7.5% of the June general election. Cable, 74, is all too aware of this, saying “we have to be heard above the noise…. We’re not the force we were in 2010 in terms of MPs and vote share, and it’s a big challenge to build it back up again.”

A strong anti-Brexit stance has not previously served the party well, but this may change as the complications and consequences of Brexit continue to unfold. Perhaps the ‘can of worms’ Cable refers to is not all that far from how the British public is beginning to feel, as questions continue over the future of the NHS and the economic fallout of a future outside of the EU. The future of the Labour party remains unclear, although supporters are encouraged by the result of the election, and the position of the Tories going into Brexit negotiations is far from the ‘strong and stable’ vision of Theresa May. The opportunity for the Lib Dems to step into the breach is one they should be foolish to miss, and it could be argued that a reasoned voice of authority, be it fairly small, is exactly what the government needs.