Vince Cable positions Lib Dems as '˜the government of the future'

Delivering the keynote address to conference, the recently re-elected MP insisted the Lib Dems must avoid being dismissed as “a Coalition partner of the past” but instead seen as “the government of the future”.

The party’s opposition to a “Hard” exit from the EU featured heavily in the speech, but Sir Vince went on to stress that this issue should not dominate “to the exclusion of everything else”.

In a continuation of his predecessor’s agenda, he pointed to affordable housing and mental health as key priorities, while presenting himself as a “credible” future Prime Minister.

“Quite simply, Brexit Britain will be poorer and weaker than if we had decided to stay in Europe... But this argument cannot go on forever,” he told members.

“Once the issue is resolved by a vote on the facts, we must then try to unite a very divided country around the outcome.

“So yes, I want our party to lead the fight against Brexit. But we should not be consumed by Brexit to the exclusion of everything else. We are not a single-issue party…we’re not UKIP in reverse.

“Our party is not just a Coalition partner of the past, we are the government of the future. And my role, as your leader, is to be a credible potential Prime Minister.”

The former Business Minister used the address to mock “infantile” Tory Brexiteers like Boris Johnson and David Davis as he warned that pursuing a Hard Brexit would result in “chaos and disruption”.

He called on pro-EU politicians from across the political divide to “put aside tribal differences and work alongside like-minded people” to keep Britain in the single market and customs union.

He also offered a scathing critique of the Labour leadership, accusing them of lacking a clear Brexit policy and failing to challenge Theresa May.

He went on to attack the party’s economic policy, arguing that its tactic during the election was to “offer something for nothing... all paid for by someone else”.

The attraction of the Labour campaign was that it offered hope,” he said. “What the country needs is hope and realism. [That] starts with the economy.”