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| Vince Cable calls for end to Lib Dem feuding | Vince Cable calls for end to Lib Dem feuding |
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| Vince Cable has called for an end to feuding within the Liberal Democrats and insisted again that he was not involved in a plot by one of his close friends to get Nick Clegg sacked. | Vince Cable has called for an end to feuding within the Liberal Democrats and insisted again that he was not involved in a plot by one of his close friends to get Nick Clegg sacked. |
| The business secretary has now given a second interview from China stressing that he is committed to Clegg and does not want to see a change of leader for the Lib Dems. | The business secretary has now given a second interview from China stressing that he is committed to Clegg and does not want to see a change of leader for the Lib Dems. |
| The row blew up after the business secretary's friend Lord Oakeshott commissioned secret ICM polling in five constituencies suggesting the party would do better under Cable and that all the incumbent Lib Dems were set to lose their seats. This was leaked to the Guardian by an unnamed party. After he was revealed to be behind the polls, Oakeshott then resigned and claimed Cable knew about four of the damaging surveys that undermined the Liberal Democrat leader. | The row blew up after the business secretary's friend Lord Oakeshott commissioned secret ICM polling in five constituencies suggesting the party would do better under Cable and that all the incumbent Lib Dems were set to lose their seats. This was leaked to the Guardian by an unnamed party. After he was revealed to be behind the polls, Oakeshott then resigned and claimed Cable knew about four of the damaging surveys that undermined the Liberal Democrat leader. |
| Explaining his position, Cable chose his words carefully, while stressing there was "no disloyalty whatsoever". He said he was not aware of the secret polling in Sheffield and Inverness, the seats of Clegg and Danny Alexander, the chief secretary to the Treasury. However, he did know about some of the other surveys. | |
| "To be absolutely clear, I'm supporting the party leader. People are putting around the story that there is some division on that," he told the BBC. "There is not and I've made it absolutely clear from the beginning of this week that there is absolutely no leadership issue. We have a united team. We clearly have to recover from the very difficult election. I'm part of that team and I will be supporting the leader on that." | |
| Speaking on BBC Sheffield on Thursday, Clegg sought to draw a line under the divisions and made it clear he did not think Cable was involved. | |
| "I spoke to him yesterday. He clearly didn't know a thing about a poll being conducted in Sheffield," said the deputy prime minister. "Sheffield Hallam has been very, very critical about that happening and as I said yesterday I just think, clearly we had some really, really bad election results last week. That of course quite rightly means there are a lot of questions and soul searching and debate about exactly what we do as a party over the next year." | |
| A number of party grandees have taken to the airwaves to give Clegg their support. Sir Graham Watson, a longstanding MEP who lost his seat last week, said nobody believed Cable was trying to undermine Clegg, though he added: "Of course it's the case that sometimes we can be as treacherous by our failure to stop something as we can by being involved." | A number of party grandees have taken to the airwaves to give Clegg their support. Sir Graham Watson, a longstanding MEP who lost his seat last week, said nobody believed Cable was trying to undermine Clegg, though he added: "Of course it's the case that sometimes we can be as treacherous by our failure to stop something as we can by being involved." |
| Oakeshott quit the party on Wednesday, warning that it was heading for disaster under Clegg's leadership. He resigned the day after being named by Cable as the senior party figure who had commissioned the surveys from pollsters ICM that showed Clegg in Sheffield Hallam, Tessa Munt in Wells, Ian Swales in Redcar and Cable in Twickenham were likely to lose their seats under the current leadership. | Oakeshott quit the party on Wednesday, warning that it was heading for disaster under Clegg's leadership. He resigned the day after being named by Cable as the senior party figure who had commissioned the surveys from pollsters ICM that showed Clegg in Sheffield Hallam, Tessa Munt in Wells, Ian Swales in Redcar and Cable in Twickenham were likely to lose their seats under the current leadership. |
| The surveys were leaked by an unnamed party to the Guardian after the Lib Dems lost hundreds of council seats and polled only 7% in the European elections, in fifth place behind the Greens, triggering suggestions from some Lib Dem MPs that Clegg should consider his position. | The surveys were leaked by an unnamed party to the Guardian after the Lib Dems lost hundreds of council seats and polled only 7% in the European elections, in fifth place behind the Greens, triggering suggestions from some Lib Dem MPs that Clegg should consider his position. |
| Oakeshott, who helped found the party, said Clegg had led the Lib Dems to "no roots, no principles, and no values". After stepping down, he also revealed that a fifth poll suggested Alexander was on course to come third to the SNP and Labour in his Inverness constituency. | |
| Cable said he regretted his relationship with Oakeshott had "finished up in this way" but hoped his longstanding friend, whom he has accompanied on family skiing holidays, would reconsider his decision to leave the party. | Cable said he regretted his relationship with Oakeshott had "finished up in this way" but hoped his longstanding friend, whom he has accompanied on family skiing holidays, would reconsider his decision to leave the party. |
| Oakeshott said he would be taking a leave of absence from the House of Lords and urged fellow Lib Dems to heed the "evidence" he had shown them about Clegg's leadership. He also claimed the party – and others – had been involved in offering cash for peerages. | Oakeshott said he would be taking a leave of absence from the House of Lords and urged fellow Lib Dems to heed the "evidence" he had shown them about Clegg's leadership. He also claimed the party – and others – had been involved in offering cash for peerages. |
| "A few stout-hearted MPs and peers, and hundreds, maybe soon thousands, of candidates, councillors and Lib Dem members all over Britain are now fighting constituency by constituency for a leadership election," Oakeshott said in a statement. | "A few stout-hearted MPs and peers, and hundreds, maybe soon thousands, of candidates, councillors and Lib Dem members all over Britain are now fighting constituency by constituency for a leadership election," Oakeshott said in a statement. |
| "I have tried to give them the evidence they need to make the change. I pray that they win, and that the right man, or preferably woman, is now elected to save the party." | "I have tried to give them the evidence they need to make the change. I pray that they win, and that the right man, or preferably woman, is now elected to save the party." |
| Among those who have called for Clegg to think about his future are John Pugh, MP for Southport, Stephen Tall, the co-editor of the Lib Dem Voice website and almost 400 Lib Dem activists, including at least 28 councillors. Local groups in Cambridge, Winchester, Liverpool and Birmingham, among others, are shortly to hold meetings to discuss Clegg's future as leader. | Among those who have called for Clegg to think about his future are John Pugh, MP for Southport, Stephen Tall, the co-editor of the Lib Dem Voice website and almost 400 Lib Dem activists, including at least 28 councillors. Local groups in Cambridge, Winchester, Liverpool and Birmingham, among others, are shortly to hold meetings to discuss Clegg's future as leader. |
| Senior Lib Dems have rallied round Clegg, however. Giving a speech on international aid, the deputy prime minister brushed off Oakeshott's efforts to undermine him with "surreptitious" polls as "odd, to put it very mildly". Before the resignation, he had also signalled that Oakeshott would be disciplined. | Senior Lib Dems have rallied round Clegg, however. Giving a speech on international aid, the deputy prime minister brushed off Oakeshott's efforts to undermine him with "surreptitious" polls as "odd, to put it very mildly". Before the resignation, he had also signalled that Oakeshott would be disciplined. |
| A spokesman for the party said Oakeshott's decision to resign was "understandable in the circumstances". But privately, senior Lib Dem sources were much ruder about Oakeshott, who was a founder member of the SDP, a predecessor of the Liberal Democrats, in 1981. | A spokesman for the party said Oakeshott's decision to resign was "understandable in the circumstances". But privately, senior Lib Dem sources were much ruder about Oakeshott, who was a founder member of the SDP, a predecessor of the Liberal Democrats, in 1981. |
| "Matthew Oakeshott was the man behind the rather hamfisted attempt to destabilise the leadership," one source said. "He has failed and he has now resigned. Most Liberal Democrats will think that is a good thing. This is a lancing of the boil – Oakeshott has long been a malign figure in the party, pursuing his own malicious agenda, rather than do anything for the benefit of the party. Nowhere was this truer than him lavishing tens of thousands of pounds on slanted private polling rather than in helping friends and colleagues get elected." | "Matthew Oakeshott was the man behind the rather hamfisted attempt to destabilise the leadership," one source said. "He has failed and he has now resigned. Most Liberal Democrats will think that is a good thing. This is a lancing of the boil – Oakeshott has long been a malign figure in the party, pursuing his own malicious agenda, rather than do anything for the benefit of the party. Nowhere was this truer than him lavishing tens of thousands of pounds on slanted private polling rather than in helping friends and colleagues get elected." |
| Lib Dem sources maintain that Clegg's position has been strengthened by the number of senior party figures who have backed him in the wake of Oakeshott's efforts, including the former leaders Paddy Ashdown and Sir Menzies Campbell, as well as Shirley Williams and a large number of MPs. | Lib Dem sources maintain that Clegg's position has been strengthened by the number of senior party figures who have backed him in the wake of Oakeshott's efforts, including the former leaders Paddy Ashdown and Sir Menzies Campbell, as well as Shirley Williams and a large number of MPs. |