At 69, Vince Cable is not too old to take over, says Lib-Dem chief

 
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Vince Cable is not too old to lead his party, a senior Liberal Democrat said today.

Lorely Burt, chairwoman of the Liberal Democrat parliamentary party, also praised the 69-year-old Business Secretary’s “integrity” after he signalled that he may mount a challenge for the leadership if Nick Clegg stands down.

“I certainly would not rule Vince out, he is very loved,” said Mrs Burt. “He has great integrity which wins respect from everywhere. I’m a very great fan of Vince.”

Mr Cable sparked leadership chatter at the weekend by saying that he would not “exclude” a leadership bid.

The Twickenham MP did not stand in the last Lib-Dem leadership contest, believing his age would go against him after previous leader Sir Menzies Campbell was often dismissed as being too old. But Mr Cable is now arguing that “the worship of youth has diminished”. Mrs Burt branded the treatment of Sir Menzies as “shameful” and added: “With a different person, I don’t think that [age] has necessarily anything to do with it now. We are not an ageist party.”

She said that Mr Cable would have made a “brilliant chancellor”, adding: “He warned of the pending economic crisis.”

However, she remained loyal to Mr Clegg, saying that he was unfairly portrayed by the media. “With Nick, what you get is everything that people like and respect about an English gentleman,” she said, insisting that people who meet him were always impressed.

With his party flatlining at around 10 per cent in the polls, Mr Clegg has signalled he would be open to forming a coalition with Labour after 2015, which would put Ed Miliband in No 10.

The Deputy Prime Minister suggested his party would do its “duty” by working with Labour in the same way it was now in partnership with the Tories if voters failed to return an overall victor in 2015 and turned their back on Cameron.

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