The final insult? Lib Dems seal vital victory in heartlands

SIR Vince Cable hailed a Liberal Democrat ‘fightback’ last night after the party made modest gains that appear to have shored up his leadership.

The Lib Dems, who have struggled to make double figures in opinion polls, were rewarded for targeting their campaigning on heartland areas. The party seized control of its target seats in Richmond and Kingston-on-Thames in south-west London, as well as South Cambridgeshire and Three Rivers Council, in Hertfordshire.

The party also seized a string of seats in Labour’s stronghold in Haringey, London, where moderate Labour leader Claire Kober was forced out this year amid allegations of bullying by hard-Left activists.

With the final results still coming in last night, the Lib Dems had gained 75 seats – more than Labour. Elections expert Sir John Curtice said the results were ‘mildly encouraging’ for the Lib Dems, but Sir Vince, who has faced mutterings about his leadership since taking over last year, hailed an electoral breakthrough – and said critics had underestimated him.

The former Cabinet minister credited his party’s success to its opposition to Brexit.

He described the Lib Dems as ‘the only party fighting for an exit from Brexit’, add-

ing they were ‘making gains against both a Conservative Party driven by their Right wing, and a Left-wing Labour Party absorbed by Corbyn’s dated economic vision’.

‘We have shown that we can win anywhere. This is the beginning of the fightback, whether it’s against Labour or Conservatives. We are reasserting ourselves as a major national force.’