Vince Cable is facing a plot to unseat him as Liberal Democrat leader and replace him with an MP who is 40 years younger.

The veteran, who has been trying to brand the Lib Dems as a ‘stop Brexit’ force, is facing a backlash from party members after missing a key Commons vote last week on quitting the EU, which the Government won by just three votes.

Dr Cable, 75, chose to attend a dinner with unnamed ‘political figures’ from another party rather than vote against pro-Brexit amendments tabled by Jacob Rees-Mogg’s hardline European Research Group. Now, a group of senior Lib Dems are planning to meet this week to push for Dr Cable to be succeeded by 35-year-old Layla Moran, the party’s education spokeswoman, who became an MP only last year.

Leader of the Lib Dems, Sir Vince Cable, and Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran at The Coseners House, Abingdon - in her constiuency

One said it was time to ‘sweep away’ the ‘fossil’ who has led the party since Tim Farron quit after the Lib Dems won just 12 seats at last year’s General Election. The source added: ‘It is not so much skipping one generation, as two.’

Dr Cable, who was Business Secretary in the Coalition Government, has struggled to make an impact since taking over.

The anti-Cable group is split between those who want him to go now and those who want to position Ms Moran as the natural successor when he stands down of his own volition. But most are agreed that Ms Moran would be more ‘electorally attractive’ than deputy leader Jo Swinson, who is favourite to succeed him.

Staunch Remainer Ms Moran, a former maths teacher, was born in the UK to a Christian-Palestinian mother from Jerusalem and a British father who worked as an EU diplomat. She is thought to be the first MP to come from a Palestinian background.

She holds a majority of just 816 in her Oxford West constituency.

A leading Lib Dem anti-Brexit campaigner said: ‘Layla Moran has that rare ability to connect with people. Swinson just doesn’t have the necessary stardust.’

A source close to Ms Moran said she is ‘keen to build her majority in her seat before considering the leadership. And she doesn’t want her supporters to treat Jo like that. There’s also been a good recovery under Vince’s leadership.’