Vincent Cable

Liberal Democrat MP Twickenham

Date of birth

9 May 1943

Political profile

Vincent Cable is a former president of the Cambridge Union and holder of a doctorate from the University of Glasgow.

Previously he worked as Shell's chief economist and he is now the Liberal Democrats' shadow chancellor.

He is something of a political veteran, having fought parliamentary seats for three different parties (Labour, SDP and the Liberal Democrats).

He served as a special adviser to John Smith during the Callaghan administration.

Unsurprisingly, given this background, he is one of the Liberal Democrats' strongest supporters of links with Labour - though his own ardour has cooled recently in that respect.

Economically, he is something of a classic liberal, with an opposition to state subsidies, though this is tempered by a strong commitment to social justice.

He is in favour of Britain's entry to the single currency but has expressed concern about the number of powers being transferred to the European Union.

Contact

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