Vince Cable

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sir Vince Cable

Leader of the Liberal Democrats
In office
20 July 2017 – 22 July 2019
DeputyJo Swinson
Preceded byTim Farron
Succeeded byJo Swinson
Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson
In office
8 May 2017 – 20 July 2017
LeaderTim Farron
Preceded byThe Baroness Kramer
Succeeded byThe Baroness Kramer
In office
12 June 2003 – 11 May 2010
LeaderCharles Kennedy
Menzies Campbell
Nick Clegg
Preceded byMatthew Taylor
Succeeded byDanny Alexander (2015)[a]
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
President of the Board of Trade
In office
12 May 2010 – 8 May 2015
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byThe Lord Mandelson
Succeeded bySajid Javid
Leader of the Liberal Democrats
Acting
In office
15 October 2007 – 18 December 2007
Preceded byMenzies Campbell
Succeeded byNick Clegg
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats
In office
2 March 2006 – 26 May 2010
LeaderMenzies Campbell
Nick Clegg
Preceded byMenzies Campbell
Succeeded bySimon Hughes
Liberal Democrat Trade and Industry Spokesperson
In office
9 August 1999 – 12 June 2003
LeaderCharles Kennedy
Preceded byDavid Chidgey
Succeeded byMalcolm Bruce
Member of Parliament
for Twickenham
In office
9 June 2017 – 6 November 2019
Preceded byTania Mathias
Succeeded byMunira Wilson
Majority9,762 (14.7%)
In office
1 May 1997 – 30 March 2015
Preceded byToby Jessel
Succeeded byTania Mathias
Personal details
Born
John Vincent Cable

(1943-05-09) 9 May 1943 (age 80)
York, England
Political partyLiberal Democrats (1988–present)
Other political
affiliations
Liberal (Before 1965)
Labour (1966–1982)
Social Democrats (1982–1988)
Spouse(s)Olympia Rebelo (1968–2001)
Rachel Smith (2004–present)
Children3
Alma materFitzwilliam College, Cambridge
University of Glasgow
WebsiteOfficial website
a. ^ Office vacant from 12 May 2010 to 7 January 2015.

Sir John Vincent "Vince" Cable (born 9 May 1943 in York, England) is a British politician. He was the Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2017 to 2019. Cable was the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government. He is the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Twickenham.

Early life[change | change source]

Vince Cable studied economics at university and became an economic advisor to the Kenyan government in 1966.

Early career[change | change source]

He was an advisor to the British government and to the Commonwealth Secretary-General in the 1970s and 1980s. He served as Chief Economist for the oil company Shell from 1995 to 1997. In the 1970s, Cable was active in the Labour Party and became a Glasgow councillor. However, in 1982, he joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP) which would go on to form the Liberal Democrats and he unsuccessfully contested seats in the elections of 1983, 1987 and 1992 until being elected as the MP for the London constituency of Twickenham in the 1997 general election.

Before the leadership[change | change source]

He was the main economics spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats from 2003 to 2010 and became the Liberal Democrats' Deputy Leader in 2006. In May 2010, a coalition government was formed between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats and Vince Cable was made the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. He has promised a 'very radical overhaul' of the state pensions system. He resigned from his position as Deputy Leader in May 2010.[2]

Leader of the Liberal Democrats (2017-2019)[change | change source]

After Tim Farron resigned, Cable said he would stand for leader. No other MP decided to stand against him and Cable became leader on 20 July 2017. [3]

Cable announced in September 2018 that he would resign as Leader of the Liberal Democrats in May 2019. He later changed his retirement date to whenever "Brexit is resolved or stopped".[4] On 24 May 2019, Cable said he would step down as party leader on 23 July.[5] He was replaced by Deputy Jo Swinson on 22 July 2019.

Personal life[change | change source]

Cable was a contestant in the BBC's Christmas 2010 Strictly Come Dancing contest. He did not win.[6] Cable was the second politician to appear on the show, after Ann Widdecombe.[7]

References[change | change source]

  1. "Vince Cable". Desert Island Discs. 18 January 2009. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  2. "Vince Cable Resigns!". Iaindale.blogspot.com. 26 February 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
  3. "Sir Vince Cable to run for Lib Dem leadership". BBC News. 20 June 2017.
  4. Walker, Peter (7 September 2018). "Vince Cable to step down 'after Brexit is resolved or stopped'". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  5. "Liberal Democrats start leadership contest", BBC News, 24 May 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019
  6. "guardian.co.uk". The Guardian. London. 22 December 2010.
  7. "Vince Cable to star in Christmas Strictly Come Dancing". BBC News. 16 November 2010. Retrieved 2011-11-16.