Cable: Hammond speech shows he's a master of irony

Responding to Philip Hammond's conference speech today, Liberal Democrat Leader Vince Cable said: “Philip Hammond has proved himself a master of irony in accusing Labour of putting the economy at risk for an ‘ideological experiment.’ "The Tories’ ideologically-driven hard Brexit will do serious damage to people’s living standards and deprive our crucial public services of the funding they need. “Likewise, how can Hammond praise Margaret Thatcher’s legacy when his party is committed to quitting perhaps her greatest achievement – the European Single Market? “Far from being fundamentally strong as Hammond claims, wages are failing to keep up with inflation, growth is anaemic, and business investment has stalled since the referendum. “In the past, the Chancellor has shown he is one of the few sensible voices around the cabinet table. But unless the Conservatives change course, their reputation for economic competence risks being destroyed for a generation.”