Cable plots an anti-Tory coalition of the centre
Labour moderates and Liberal Democrats last night appeared to be plotting a new ‘anti-Tory’ party in the event of a landslide for Theresa May.
Sir Vince Cable, the former Lib Dem business secretary, said there would be ‘serious conversations’ after June 8 about creating an alternative to the Conservatives.
It came as Nick Clegg, the former Lib Dem leader, said it was now impossible for a single party to ‘wrest power’ away from the Tories. He said Labour and his party were ‘duty bound’ to work together to restore ‘the necessity of competition’ to british politics.
It also emerged yesterday that allies of Tony blair have drawn up plans to create a new party if Jeremy Corbyn leads Labour to a historic defeat.
Conservatives say the revelations are yet more evidence of a ‘coalition of chaos’ between Left-wing parties.
They said Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens had formed electoral pacts in more than 30 constituencies to avoid splitting the anti-Tory vote.
Tory chairman Patrick McLoughlin said: ‘all over the country Green and Liberal Democrat candidates are doing their utmost to put in power a coalition of chaos that would be led by a weak, shambolic Jeremy Corbyn.
‘It is further evidence that whichever one, it doesn’t matter whose name is on the ballot – it’s the nonsensical Corbyn who gets the vote.’
Sir Vince is one of the key speakers at today’s launch of a so-called progressive alliance between Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens to ‘stop the Tories’. His comments were echoed by ex-Lib Dem leader Paddy ashdown, who urged the centre ground to ‘come together’ to create a new political force.
Warning yesterday that Labour would be ‘trounced’ in the election, Sir Vince indicated a new centre-Left party could be formed. Speaking on BBC radio 5 live, he said there would be a ‘bloodletting’ after the election.
‘The Labour Party’s future is in great doubt and we [the Lib Dems] have hung in there and we have recovered and established a base,’ said Sir Vince, who is seeking to reclaim his former seat of Twickenham from the Tories. ‘[after the election] there will be serious conversations about where british politics goes and how you create an alternative to the Conservatives which is centrist, centre-Left, pro-business, practical – offering an alternative to what is potentially a very damaging form of Conservatism.’
asked whether he had tried to convince Labour candidates to defect to the Lib Dems, he said he had good relationships with some from both the main parties.
‘I think many of the Labour people are just waiting to get this election out of the way,’ he added.
‘I think frankly we’ll then have a lot of bloodletting because it’s clear that Jeremy Corbyn isn’t going to win, he’s going to be trounced.’
Speculation that Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens will seek to form a coalition has been mounting in recent weeks. at a ‘convention on brexit’ in Westminster on Saturday, Mr Clegg said: ‘It is very important to understand that there is no single party now in british politics ... who now on their own can wrest power away from the Conservative Party.’
Meanwhile, Lord ashdown told the BBC’s The World This Weekend: ‘It now seems to me very likely, unfortunately, that that process of realignment that I’ve been seeking for a long time isn’t going to happen before the next election, but I think it’s a very high probability it would happen after that.’
asked whether this would mean a new party, he said: ‘I don’t know. I rather doubt it.’
Last night Labour denied there would be a new party after the poll. a spokesman added: ‘Labour doesn’t and won’t do deals.’
‘We’ll have a lot of bloodletting’