LAST week, Sir Vince Cable announced he would stand down as leader of the Liberal Democrats once Brexit is “resolved or scrapped”. The fact his comments barely made an impact on the news agenda speaks volumes for the state of his party.

The Liberal Democrats head to Brighton for their annual conference this weekend at a time when British politics is desperately in need of a moderate, centrist party capable of challenging the duopoly of the Conservatives and Labour.

With Labour lurching to the left under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn and the Tories being pulled to the right by Brexiteers like Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg, a huge swathe of the electorate feel increasingly disenfranchised.

That should be fertile ground for a Liberal Democrat renaissance, particularly when Mr Cable and his 11 fellow MPs are the largest English parliamentary group arguing forcefully against Brexit. Remainers seeking a political home should be turning to the Lib Dems in their droves.

The fact they are not reflects the deep-rooted mistrust that was a result of the Lib Dems’ coalition with the Conservatives, but is also a reflection of Mr Cable’s failure to engage and enthuse the electorate.

Mr Cable is a safe pair of hands, but he is not the kind of inspirational leader that might enable the Lib Dems to shake up the status quo. The party need to identify such a figure, and install him or her as quickly as possible.