MPs Will Kill Off Prospect Of No-Deal Brexit Next Week, Says Sir Vince Cable

He added: “That’s the way forward. I’m optimistic in the next few weeks we will resolve this issue.”

With Brexit looming, and with several Labour and Tory MPs having quit their parties to set up Westminster’s new Independent Group, Sir Vince said British politics had been “shaken to the foundations” over recent weeks and months.

And he said this “very turbulent” period could provide a “big opportunity”.

In Scotland he said the party was “rebuilding support”, insisting that increasing the number of Lib Dem MPs from north of the border from four to seven was a “realistic prospect”.

And while he warned against an early general election, he said the party was prepared to fight one if necessary.

Cable said: “The country needs an early election like a hole in the head. It would just add to the turbulence, the instability, the ill will which is all around us.

“But if you were Theresa May and you had a bit more oomph and you hadn’t made a complete  mess of the last one, there would be strong temptation to have an early general election.

“The Labour Party are all over the place, you’ve got a new group of independent members who haven’t yet built up defences for their seats, you could kill them off.

“It must be very tempting for her and her people to think in these terms.

“So I think we have to be ready, we are ready.”