Vince Cable is to announce a plan to enlist a new group of Liberal Democrat supporters who will be able to help choose leaders despite paying nothing, one of a series of reform measures intended to reinvigorate his moribund party.

The announcement will come in what is being billed by the Lib Dems as a major speech that will outline plans to modernise the party as something of a populist force for disgruntled moderates in the era of Brexit and Jeremy Corbyn.

Cable is also expected to address his own future as leader, amid reports he could announce he will not stand again in the next leadership election, which could happen as early as next year.

The former business secretary in the coalition government was appointed leader unopposed last year in place of Tim Farron, but has seen the party’s poll ratings struggle at about 7%-9%, little more than it secured in the past two general elections.

His replacement could now be chosen by a new class of registered supporters, similar to the system introduced by Labour, which has seen its membership surge under Corbyn. However, Lib Dem supporters would not even have to pay a joining fee.

Reports have suggested that the new system could even allow people outside parliament put themselves up for the leadership – the anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller has been named in this context – but this has been played down.

Cable’s speech will outline a plan to turn the Lib Dems into a more populist force, in part mimicking the Labour experience under Momentum, the Corbyn-supporting grassroots movement.

“The Liberal Democrats already have an army of voluntary helpers and deliverers, as well as 200,000 online supporters, who loosely identify with us and campaign with us, but currently have no say in the direction of the party,” Cable was due to say.



“Whatever rights our new supporters gain, we as a party aim to be in constant conversation with them, engaging them in campaigns and urging them to begin campaigns of their own.

“I want these not to be just about stopping things but about growing support for the things that matter to Liberal Democrat voters, and to the vast swath of voters in the centre ground whom we are yet to persuade.”

In other extracts of the speech released in advance, Cable highlighted the work of digital campaign groups such as Avaaz and Change.org in engaging with people online, saying the Lib Dems should become a “movement for moderates”.

He was due to say: “I want our party to do that and to offer our movement a political arm within parliament. So it is not just a protest group banging at the door, but a movement with a voice on the inside – our parliamentary party.”

The failure of Cable to transform positions such as a clear stance opposing Brexit into high poll numbers had caused disquiet, but this has lessened following indications he does not intend to remain as leader in the long term.

One Lib Dem source said that while there was no pressure on Cable to leave more quickly, the party recognised the need for potentially radical reforms.

“The world has moved on in how you engage with members and supporters, and we’ve got to get up to speed,” they said. “Even if we were in government we’d need to do this reform, but we’re nowhere near government, and so we need to do it even more.”

Internal party research had shown that the public appetite for existing Lib Dem policies would be greater if there were a perception of a revamped party, the source said: “We need a different story about ourselves, that we’ve changed. We need to go quite far and that will be uncomfortable for some people.”