Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable warned today that a No deal Brexit would see the UK wander into a global trade 'battlefield' between the United States and China, saying he would try to avoid it happening.
Sir Vince, 76, who has announced his is to step down, insisted that there was a 'majority to stay' in the EU after his party beat the Tories and Labour in an election for the first time in 100 years.
His party came second behind the Brexit Party in the European vote, winning 14 seats to add to the one they held before Thursday.
And Sir Vince took a swipe at those like Nigel Farage, who have advocated leaving on World Trade Organisation (WTO) trade terms.
The Lib Dem leader, who backs a second referendum, told Sky News: 'There is no such thing at the moment as WTO rules.
'The World Trade Organisation system, the rules-based system of trade, which operated until quite recently is in the process of collapsing.
'The United States and China, the two biggest economies and the two biggest trading countries in the world, are in a trade war.
'Those people who say ''let's have WTO rules'' want us to wander into the middle of that battlefield - that is the reality and that is why the argument has moved on so fundamentally since where we were three years ago.'
Sir Vince Cable met three of the party's new MEPs today (left to right) Dinesh Dhamija, Luisa Porritt and Irina von Wiese
The Lib Dem election surge came as they sucked up Remain votes from Labour and the Tories. And it forced the new centrist party Change UK to beg them for a merger.
The party formed by Labour and Tory defectors did not bag a single MEP. But leader Heidi Allen said that the new centrist party was 'down but not out' last night.
Change UK MP Chuka Umunna said on Saturday that the two parties should form a pact not to stand against each other's candidates in the next general election. And yesterday Mrs Allen, who left the Conservatives to join other breakaway Tory and
