Kick-start for Lib Dems with new fanbase picking leader
LIB Dem boss Sir Vince Cable is set to fire the starting gun on a leadership contest to revive its flagging fortunes.
He will today unveil a free supporters’ scheme so anyone who vaguely agrees with some of the party’s policies can sign up to pick its new chief.
Deputy leader Jo Swinson and education spokeswoman Layla Moran are tipped as frontrunners. Insiders have been frustrated at Sir Vince’s failure to lift the Lib Dems in the polls. They are in the doldrums on about 8%, despite being the only major party to oppose Brexit. Sir Vince wants to overhaul Lib Dem rules so a non-MP can take the helm. He will say: “We should widen membership with a new class of ‘supporters’ who pay nothing to sign up to the party’s values. “They should enjoy a range of entitlements, including the right to vote for the leadership.”