Image copyright Reuters Image caption Vince Cable, with new deputy leader Jo Swinson, left.

Sir Vince Cable is the new leader of the Liberal Democrats, after no-one stood against him.

The 74-year old Twickenham MP was the only candidate on the ballot paper when nominations closed at 16:00 BST.

The former business secretary said there should be an "exit from Brexit" and he believed the party's call for a second referendum would be vindicated.

He also said he did not intend to be a "caretaker" leader and he would "serve as long as I need to".

Sir Vince, who has been acting and deputy leader in the past, has argued that Brexit is not inevitable.

He assumes the leadership vacated by Tim Farron, who stood down after a disappointing general election in which the party increased its number of MPs from nine to 12 but saw its vote share fall to 7.4%.

'Exit from Brexit'

Sir Vince paid tribute to his predecessor as he was announced as the new leader, saying Mr Farron had taken over the leadership at a time of crisis for the party and had rebuilt its membership to record levels.

He argued that the Conservatives and Labour had been taken over by "ideologues" and British politics had lost its "basic common sense", moderation and mutual respect - his aim was for the Liberal Democrats to move into that space.

He warned that he feared the UK was "heading for a disastrous outcome" over Brexit, headed by a dysfunctional and disunited government - and said he felt there should be an "exit from Brexit".

The party's main campaign pledge during the election was to give the public the final say on the terms of the UK's exit from the EU in a further referendum, ahead of the scheduled withdrawal date in March 2019.

Although Sir Vince has admitted this message did not "cut through", he has argued that attitudes are beginning to change and that the public mood will come round to the party's position.

He said as the difficulties of Brexit became clearer, Mr Farron's policy would be "absolutely vindicated". He added: "I'm ambitious for this country and I'm ambitious for this party. In difficult times, we have shown enormous resilience but I believe we can fight our way back, break through and make an enormous success of our party and eventually, in government."

At-a-glance: Sir Vince Cable

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Sir Vince has ruled out coalitions with the Tories and with a Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour party

Born: 9 May 1943, in York

Educated: Grammar school, Cambridge University

Family: Father of three grown-up children by his first wife, Olympia, who died in 2001. Remarried in 2004.

Job before politics: Economist, lecturer and adviser to the Kenyan government and senior Labour politicians. Chief economist at oil giant Shell.

Political career: A Labour councillor in Glasgow the 1970s, who joined the SDP in 1982 and then won his Twickenham seat for the Lib Dems at the second attempt in 1997. Stood in as Lib Dem leader when Sir Menzies Campbell quit in 2007, was business secretary in the coalition government between 2010 and 2015, before losing his seat. Returned to the Commons in June. Knighted in 2015.

Off duty: Ballroom dancing and writing - about to publish his first novel, a political thriller about a post-Brexit future called Open Arms

Read More: The Vince Cable story

He has said the Conservative and Labour leaderships are conspiring to negotiate a "hard Brexit" and he is willing to work with MPs from other parties to thwart this.

Sir Vince, who was knighted last year, was elected unopposed after other potential candidates, including Jo Swinson, Norman Lamb and Sir Ed Davey, said they would not be putting themselves forward.

The veteran politician, who was a Labour councillor in the 1970s before defecting to the SDP and later joining the Liberal Democrats, has never stood for the party's leadership before.

But he has become one of its most recognisable and influential figures, having served as deputy to former leaders Sir Menzies Campbell and Nick Clegg, and been a cabinet minister in the Tory-Lib Dem government for five years.

He will be the oldest leader of the party in its near 30-year history.

He has insisted he has the energy, as well as the experience, to lead the Lib Dems into the next election, which he believes will happen sooner rather than later.

Mr Farron announced his decision to quit a week after last month's poll, citing the pressures of trying to reconcile his Christian beliefs with his leadership of a progressive political party.

He later said that he had decided to step down early on in the election campaign - a campaign in which he was forced to clarify on several occasions his views on whether gay sex was a sin or not.</s>LONDON — Former British Business Secretary Vince Cable has become the new leader of the Liberal Democrats in Britain.

Nominations for the position closed Thursday without any challengers to Cable. He will take over from Tim Farron, who stepped down after the party’s lacklustre performance in the June 8 general election.

The 74-year-old Cable was prominent in the government led by former Prime Minister David Cameron when the Conservative Party was in coalition with the smaller Liberal Democrats.

Cable has opposed Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. He says the government will be unable to deliver the “painless” Brexit that it has promised.</s>Vince Cable, the new leader of Britain's Liberal Democrats speaks next to new deputy leader Jo Swinson in London, July 20, 2017.

LONDON (Reuters) - Veteran lawmaker Vince Cable was elected unopposed to lead Britain's pro-European Liberal Democrat Party on Thursday, promising to restore the party's influence and use it to argue for a softer exit from the European Union.

Cable, who served as business minister from 2010 to 2015 in a coalition of the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, said before his appointment that he believed Brexit might never happen because it was too divisive and too difficult to deliver.

The 74-year old economist was the only candidate in a leadership contest triggered when Tim Farron stepped down after last month's national election.

"As the only party committed to staying in the single market and customs union, the Liberal Democrats are alone in fighting to protect our economy," he said.

The Liberal Democrats have campaigned for a second referendum on leaving the EU, to be held at the end of the Brexit negotiations. That position has been rejected by both Prime Minister Theresa May and the opposition Labour Party.

The party is Britain's fourth-largest, with 12 members in the 650-seat parliament. It was almost wiped out in a 2015 vote, and only enjoyed a small rebound in June's election, when the Conservatives lost their parliamentary majority.

"We have a government that can't govern and an opposition that can't oppose," Cable said. "Labour and the Conservatives have formed a grand coalition of chaos, driving through a hard Brexit which would deliver a massive blow to living standards."

Cable has also warned that Britain is heading towards a new financial crisis, likely to be triggered by rising interest rates, which could prompt a surge in support for anti-Brexit parties.</s>SIR Vince Cable has been named leader of the Liberal Democrats.

The former business secretary has taken up the role after nominations for the post closed without him facing any challengers in his party.

The 74-year-old replaces Tim Farron who led the party to a disappointing general election where the party pocketed an increase of three MPs to 12.

Mr Farron stepped down as leader earlier this summer, stating he needed to reconcile his faith and could not do so as leader of the party due the demands it posed.</s>Sir Vince Cable has become the new leader of the Liberal Democrats.

The former business secretary, 74, took up the role after nominations for the post closed without him facing any challengers.

The move comes after Tim Farron announced he would stand down because he had been unable to reconcile his Christian faith with the demands of leading a “progressive, liberal” party.

A disappointing general election campaign saw the party increase its tally of MPs by just three to stand at 12.

Sir Vince said Labour and the Tories had “abandoned” mainstream economics and claimed there was a need to prepare “an exit from Brexit”.

He said: “There is a huge gap in the centre of British politics and I intend to fill it. As the only party committed to staying in the single market and customs union, the Liberal Democrats are alone in fighting to protect our economy.

“It will soon become clear that the Government can’t deliver the painless Brexit it promised. So, we need to prepare for an exit from Brexit. Theresa May wants to take Britain back to the 1950s while Jeremy Corbyn wants to take Britain back to the 1970s. I will offer an optimistic, alternative agenda to power the country into the 2020s and beyond.

“We have a Government that can’t govern and an opposition that can’t oppose. Labour and the Conservatives have formed a grand coalition of chaos, driving through a hard Brexit which would deliver a massive blow to living standards. Both parties have abandoned mainstream economics. I want to put economics back centre stage.

“Under my leadership the Liberal Democrats will be at the centre of political life: a credible, effective party of national government.

“We have doubled our membership and our new members have given the party enormous energy. I want to give leadership to that energy, hitting the headlines and putting our party at the centre of the national debate.”</s>As expected, Vince Cable has been elected as new leader of the Liberal Democrats. Actually, "elected" is a bit misleading. The party managed to avoid a contested election after possible candidates Ed Davey, Jo Swinson and Norman Lamb decided not to throw their hats into the ring. So congratulations Vince. We look forward to working with you.</s>Sir Vince Cable was set to take the helm of the Liberal Democrat party today with outgoing leader Tim Farron saying it is time for a “fresh start”.

The former coalition Business Secretary was the only challenger for the role and was due to be appointed this afternoon.

Sir Vince, who regained his Twickenham seat at the general election, wants to move the party to the centre ground and abandon a push for a second EU referendum.

The 74-year-old has long said a re-run of the 2016 vote would be inappropriate but he still wants the public to have a final say on the deal.

Mr Farron said: “He is exactly what we need at this moment. A campaigner and a statesman.

“The wisest person in parliament. This is the time for a fresh start. This is the time for Vince.”

The Lib Dems increased their number of MPs to 12 at the election, up from nine after their wipe-out in 2015.

Among those who made a return were former Energy Secretary Ed Davey, the MP for Kingston & Surbiton, and Scottish MP Jo Swinson, who is the party’s deputy leader.</s>Sir Vince Cable is the new leader of the Liberal Democrats after no-one else stood against him in the leadership contest.

The 74-year-old Twickenham MP who was re-elected in the general election was the only candidate on the ballot paper when nominations closed today.

The leadership became vacant after former leader Tim Farron stepped down after the General Election in June earlier this year saying his religion made him a ‘subject of suspicion’ after he faced repeated questions over his views on homosexuality.

Stepping down Farron said: “The consequences of the focus on my faith is that I have found myself torn between living as a faithful Christian and serving as a political leader.”

“To be a political leader – especially of a progressive, liberal party in 2017 – and to live as a committed Christian, to hold faithfully to the Bible’s teaching, has felt impossible for me.”</s>Sir Vince Cable has become the new leader of the Liberal Democrats.

The former business secretary, 74, took-up the role after nominations for the post closed without him facing any challengers.

The move comes after Tim Farron announced he would stand-down because he had been unable to reconcile his Christian faith with the demands of leading a "progressive, liberal" party.

A disappointing general election campaign saw the party increase its tally of MPs by just three to stand at 12.</s>Here is Vince Cable‘s leadership manifesto, published this afternoon as nominations closed and he was declared the new leader of the Liberal Democrats.
Vince Cable is acclaimed as Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the United Kingdom after running unopposed.