Vince Cable is set to cruise to Lib Dem leadership because no one else wants the job
Ed Davey today announced that he will not run for the top job, clearing the way for Sir Vince
VINCE CABLE is on course to become leader of the Liberal Democrats unopposed after his only serious rival quit the race today.
Sir Vince, 74, who won back his Commons seat this month, is set to be the only candidate in the party’s leadership election.
Ed Davey, another former minister in the Coalition, announced today that he will not run for the post because of his young family.
And with the other frontrunners Jo Swinson and Norman Lamb also staying out of the race, Sir Vince is almost certain to be elected by members even if another low-profile MP challenges him.
The former Business Secretary is set to be unveiled as leader later this year, following Tim Farron’s recent resignation.
Sir Ed, who was Energy Secretary until 2015, is the father of two young children, one of whom is severely disabled.
He said today that becoming leader would clash with “the need to be there for my young children and not continually away from home”.
He also mentioned the death of both his parents when he was a child as a factor in his decision not to challenge Sir Vince.
But he insisted that after regaining his position as an MP in the General Election, he will “play a big part” in attempting to rebuild the Lib Dems after a series of "crushingly bad" election results.
Last week, Mr Lamb - who lost to Mr Farron in 2015 - said he could not be leader because he does not agree with the party’s policy of fighting Brexit at every turn and agitating for a second EU referendum.
Ms Swinson, 37, suggested that she was too inexperienced for the top job - and she was instead elected as the new Deputy Leader.
If Sir Vince is the only candidate for the leadership, the election which is supposed to conclude in September is likely to be cancelled.
However, Lib Dem sources would today only say, “We will cross that bridge when we come to it” if all other MPs rule themselves out.
Mr Farron, who was elected in 2015, resigned days after the election saying he found it impossible to reconcile his strong Christian faith with leading the party.
He has been repeatedly criticised for refusing to say whether or not he believed gay sex was a sin, and for previous comments suggesting he was opposed to abortion.
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The former leader was also blamed by some for the Lib Dems' poor election showing, which left them with three more seats but a smaller share of the vote than 2015, with multiple MPs including Nick Clegg losing their place in the Commons.
Sir Vince, who was first elected to Parliament in 1997, became one of the best-known Lib Dems when he was Deputy Leader - famously ridiculing Gordon Brown as going "from Stalin to Mr Bean".
He served as Business Secretary in the Coalition for five years, despite being uncomfortable with David Cameron and Mr Clegg's policies of austerity, and was beaten by the Tories in his Twickenham seat in 2015 before making a comeback on June 8.