Vince Cable, 74, denies he’s too old to be Lib Dem leader as he confirms he’s running to replace Tim Farron
Fedora-wearing ex-minister says he offers 'energy, dedication and drive’ to make party ‘a credible contender for power’
FORMER Cabinet minister Sir Vince Cable has thrown his hat into the ring to be the next Lib Dem leader after Tim Farron reveals he is stepping down.
The fedora-wearing 74-year-old says he can “offer the energy, dedication and drive” to make his party “a credible contender for power” - and denied he was too old for the role.
He is now the bookies favourite after early frontrunner Jo Swinson announced she would not be running earlier this week.
The 37-year-old unexpectedly quit the race to replace Mr Farron, saying she wanted to be deputy leader instead as it was “the right role for me now”.
But Mr Cable, who won back his Twickenham seat earlier this month after being kicked out of Parliament in 2015, may face a challenge from Ed Davey.
The former climate change minister, another Lib Dem who returned to the commons at the election, said he was contemplating a tilt at the top job.
He tweeted on Monday: “Was intending to back Jo but now she's decided not to run, am giving it serious thought!”
Former health minister Norman Lamb, who unsuccessfully ran in 2015, has also indicated he is considering a bid for the leadership.
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Declaring his candidacy on the , Sir Vince said he is ready to "work with like-minded people in other parties" to secure a second referendum on any Brexit deal, with the option to stay in the EU if the agreement on offer is not good enough.
He described Brexit as an "iceberg" about to hit the UK economy and said the party should "warn of the dangers ahead and the need for a new course".
Despite the disappointment of Liberal Democrats securing only 7.4% of the vote and 12 seats in this month's election, Sir Vince insisted that "the political winds are moving in our favour".
He said: "There are big opportunities ahead. The Conservatives are in disarray and in retreat. The Labour Party outperformed expectations but complacently believes that 'one more heave' will see it into office.
"But an economic policy based on offering lots of free things lacks economic credibility and will be found out. Investing in infrastructure, rather than borrowing for everyday running costs is credible.
“There is a big space in British politics which I am determined that we should occupy."
Sir Vince previously served as acting leader following the resignation of Sir Menzies Campbell in 2007.
But he declined to stand for the top job at that point, saying that an older candidate would not be electable because of "irrational prejudice about age".
If elected, he would be the party's oldest ever leader and the oldest leader of a major party since Sir Winston Churchill, who was 81 when he stepped down as Conservative leader.
Mr Farron shocked many Lib Dems by announcing days after the election that he will stand down when Parliament breaks for the summer next week.
A committed Christian who was repeatedly questioned during the election campaign over whether he saw gay sex as a sin, Mr Farron said his religion had made him a "subject of suspicion".
He threw in the towel after less than two year in post, saying: “To be a political leader and to live as a committed Christian, to hold faithfully to the Bible’s teaching, has felt impossible for me.”