New rules could see non-MP lead Lib Dems

The Liberal Democrat's Sir Vince Cable is to announce a shake-up of the party's rules, in a move that could see someone who is not an MP become leader.

As well as opening up the role to candidates outside of the party's 12 MPs, Sir Vince wants to involve more supporters in the selection process.

A Lib Dem spokesman played down reports in the Sunday Times that Sir Vince was planning to stand down.

They said he had no plans to leave "any time soon".

In a speech on 7 September, Sir Vince will unveil proposals to create a registered supporters scheme similar to the one that allowed 180,000 people to vote in the Labour leadership elections.

He also plans to rewrite the rules so that supporters need to be enrolled for 12 months before voting, to prevent infiltration by rival parties.

Sir Vince hopes to emulate the success of Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party in Canada, which leaped from third place to victory in 2015.

The Lib Dem leader said engaging members and a wider body of supporters in selecting their leader and candidates had been crucial to their rise.

In his spring conference speech this year, he said: "I am determined that we Liberal Democrats should lead a new groundswell for political renewal."

A consultation on the changes is expected to last several months.