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27 June 2010

Is Vince Cable selling his soul?

Now the Lib Dem, put up to do media for coalition, is forced to defend immigration cap.

By James Macintyre

Poor old Vince Cable. First, the man who tried to persuade Gordon Brown to keep alive the prospect of a “progressive alliance” appears on BBC Question Time, apparently on the orders of the Tories, and “meditates” his way through a debate over the regressive, VAT-hiking Budget.

Now, he has been forced on the BBC to defend the cap on immigration that his party previously opposed — as it did the VAT rise.

No wonder Harriet Harman says he has gone from “national treasure to Treasury poodle”; still less that a poll today shows half of all Liberal Democrat voters are poised to defect.

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Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
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