Vince Cable: Theresa May like a ‘hostage handcuffed to a radiator' over Brexit
2 min read
Brexit has left Theresa May like a "hostage handcuffed to a radiator in the basement of a flat in Beirut", Sir Vince Cable has said.
The Lib Dem leader said the Prime Minister is now trapped by her backbenchers, who can dump her as Conservative leader unless she does what they say.
Sir Vince made the extraordinary comparison in an interview with Buzzfeed.
"It’s a bit like being handcuffed to a radiator in the basement of a flat in Beirut and she is at the mercy of other people,” he said.
"The minute she shows a sign of independence of mind there will be 70 letters that will go into the chairman of the '22 committee [the Tories' influential backbench group of MPs] and she’ll be out."
His comments come after it was reported that George Osborne had told friends he will not rest until Mrs May "is chopped up in bags in his freezer".
Responding to Sir Vince's comments, a Downing Street spokesman said: "Our focus is on securing a good deal for the UK and the EU, and we're making concrete progress in the negotiations."
Elsewhere in his interview, the Lib Dem leader repeated his claim that Brexit may yet be avoided.
He added "I wouldn’t say [Brexit not happening] is probable, but it’s certainly possible that it may never happen.
"Because the process is so unbelievably complicated and the government clearly is horribly unprepared for these negotiations."
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