Who will be the next leader of the Liberal Democrats?
Jo Swinson among favourites to take over after Vince Cable announces he is stepping down
Vince Cable has announced that he will step down as Lib Dem leader in May.
The former business secretary had previously said he would stand down as party leader “once Brexit is resolved or stopped”, but in a new interview with the Daily Mail, he said: “It now looks as if it will be a protracted process, and may never happen.”
In a statement to the party’s members confirming the decision, the 75-year-old said: “I set considerable store by having an orderly, business-like, succession unlike the power struggles in the other parties. So I wanted you, our members, to know that, assuming Parliament does not collapse into an early general election, I will ask the party to begin a leadership contest in May.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Cable refused to name his preferred successor, but former coalition minister Jo Swinson, former energy secretary Ed Davey and the party’s education spokeswoman Layla Moran have all been tipped as possible candidates.
“We’ve got several very good internal candidates - you can work out who they are. The worst thing I can do is to start promoting them,” Cable told the Mail.
The veteran politician, who will remain an MP, admitted he had presided over a “gradual” rather than a “spectacular” recovery of the party.
The Lib Dems currently have 11 MPs and have been overtaken in the polls by the Independent Group (TIG) - “which is quite an achievement, given it’s just a few weeks old and not even a party”, says Politico’s Annabelle Dickson.
In an interview with the BBC's Newsnight, Cable conceded that the establishment of TIG by breakaway Labour and the Conservatives MPs as a new “centrist” force had drawn media attention from his party.
But he added: “We have made a lot of steady progress after two very difficult general elections.”
Last autumn, Cable announced a proposal to change party election rules to allow non-MPs to stand for the top job and to allow non-party members to vote for the next leader.
Anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller addressed the Lib Dem annual conference last year and earned “a better reception than many of its MPs”, notes the BBC, but she insists she will neither join the party nor run for leader.
“No, no, no, I’m definitely not doing that,” Miller told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
So who is most likely to succeed him? The Week looks at the runners and riders.
Jo Swinson
The deputy leader of the Lib Dems, who served as equalities minister in the coalition government, is currently the bookmakers’ joint favourite to replace Cable. But given that she withdrew her name in the early stages of the last leadership race, it remains unclear if Swinson has any desire to head the party.
Willie Rennie, head of the Scottish Lib Dems, said Swinson would be a “fantastic” leader. “She’s so professional, an incredible performer and a really intelligent woman,” he said.
Layla Moran
Despite being a relative newcomer, education spokesperson Layla Moran is another early favourite. The MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, who was first elected in 2017, “is seen as a capable media performer, and a fresh face in a party which only has three MPs under 50”, says Business Insider.
However, The Sun points out that she also ruled out a leadership bid in the last contest, saying that as a newly elected MP she wanted to concentrate on serving her constituents.
Ed Davey
The MP for Kingston and Surbiton is well liked within the party, and bookies and commentators believe he stands a strong chance of winning if he were to throw his hat in the ring.
Davey, who served as energy secretary in the coalition, chose not to stand last time around. In an article in June 2017 on a political blog, he wrote that he wanted to spend time with his young family and protect them from the “inevitable intrusion on our lives”.
But he did not rule out a possible future bid, adding that he wants “to play a big part in rebuilding our party, and taking it into power, at all levels of government”.
Norman Lamb
The MP for North Norfolk, a minister in the business and health departments during the coalition, ran unsuccessfully against Farron in 2015 and declined to stand in the last leadership race.
Lamb has made no comment on Cable’s planned departure, but welcomed the proposed change in rules to allow non-MPs to stand. He told Sky News: “There may be other dynamic people out there beyond the parliamentary party who could have a significant impact on the future of liberal progressive politics, so why exclude them?”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Are 'judge shopping' rules a blow to Republicans?
Today's Big Question How the abortion pill case got to the Supreme Court
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Climate change is driving Indian women to choose sterilization
under the radar Faced with losing their jobs, they are making a life-altering decision
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
'A great culture will be lost if the EV brigade gets its way'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Britain's biggest political donors
The Explainer With the 2024 general election set to be the highest-spending contest ever we look at who is giving to which party and why
By The Week UK Published
-
It's the economy, Sunak: has 'Rishession' halted Tory fightback?
Today's Big Question PM's pledge to deliver economic growth is 'in tatters' as stagnation and falling living standards threaten Tory election wipeout
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Why your local council may be going bust
The Explainer Across England, local councils are suffering from grave financial problems
By The Week UK Published
-
Rishi Sunak and the right-wing press: heading for divorce?
Talking Point The Telegraph launches 'assault' on PM just as many Tory MPs are contemplating losing their seats
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet, The Week UK Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Post Office Horizon IT scandal: who's really to blame?
Today's Big Question Fingers pointed at Ed Davey, Paula Vennells and successive British governments
By The Week UK Published