Vince Cable, the new leader of the Liberal Democrats, has begun his tenure with a bang as he declared in his first speech that he wants an “exit from Brexit”.

Cable, who praised former leader Tim Farron for placing the Liberal Democrats at the heart of the debate about Europe, made the bold claim this evening, saying that Britain must be allowed to change its mind as the economy starts to decline due to the effects of Brexit.

The move will come as a huge boost to the pro-European campaign, with the Liberal Democrat flagship policy of having a second referendum now winning in most opinion polls. This comes against a backdrop of new economic woes for Britain as Brexit begins to become a reality, with major banking and manufacturing firms moving their bases from the UK to Germany.

Sir Vince Cable was the Business Secretary in the Coalition, presiding over the introduction of shared parental leave and working to improve gender balance on the boards of major City corporations. He was formerly Chief Economist for Shell, and holds a PhD in Economics.

Cable also stated that his aim was to “tackle the inequalities which disfigure British society”, in a clear statement of the Liberal Democrat core message of removing barriers to opportunity. Internal party sources have said that Cable’s speech “shows our intentions: to grow our party, to challenge the Tory-Labour extreme Brexit consensus, and to restore justice and opportunity to Britain”.