Ukraine crisis: Lib Dems label former leader Vince Cable's appearance on RT 'entirely wrong'

Sir Vince, who was business secretary during the Cameron/Clegg coalition government and who led the Lib Dems between 2017 and 2019, appeared on the Alex Salmond Show on Thursday.

The show was pulled from the main schedule of RT, formerly Russia Today, but is available in full on the website.

Sir Vince told The Scotsman he has asked RT not to broadcast the interview in light of the full-blown invasion of Ukraine.

He said: “The interview had nothing to do with the situation in Ukraine and was about the paperback version of my book, Money and Power, and my earlier novel.

“I totally condemn the invasion and fully support Nato sanctions and the position of [existing party leader] Ed Davey that British measures should be strengthened.

“In view of this morning’s events I have asked RT not to broadcast the interview.”

Alex Cole-Hamilton, the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, labelled the appearance “entirely wrong”.

He said: "Vince Cable is a private citizen and no longer a LibDem parliamentarian, but his appearance on Salmond’s RT show this morning was entirely wrong. So too is Salmond’s continued association with this agent of a hostile power.

"No elected Scottish Liberal Democrat will appear on RT."

Mr Cole-Hamilton had previously called for Mr Salmond to stop being one of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s so-called “useful idiots”.

He said: “It is absolutely shambolic that a former first minister and current party leader has a show on RT, a network that exists to parrot Putin's soundbites.

"Alex Salmond is an ​embarrassment not just to the high office he once served, but to the whole of Scotland. All party leaders should join me in making clear that our parliamentarians will not lend legitimacy to this propaganda broadcaster.”

He added the Alba party “seem more concerned with the interests of the Russian military machine than they do the people of Ukraine”.

Mr Cole-Hamilton also wrote to the Lord President of the Privy Council, Mark Spencer, to request the removal of the Alba leader’s Privy Council membership.

The Privy Council is the formal group that advises the Queen, though its membership is in the hundreds and most members do not attend meetings.

During the show during the discussion around possible Liberal Democrat and Labour co-operation at the next general election, Mr Cable said: "lots of things could happen, the Ukraine war kind of stuff”.

The mention of the war was not followed up by Mr Salmond, instead focusing on the politician's famous ‘Mr Bean’ joke in the House of Commons directed towards former prime minister Gordon Brown.

Mr Salmond has had a show on RT since 2017 and has faced repeated calls to quit the Russian state-controlled media platform.

Nicola Sturgeon said on Wednesday she was “appalled” by her former mentor’s ongoing involvement with the channel, adding she had previously warned against the move.

She said: “I don’t think it’s any secret now that I didn’t think he should ever have had a television show on RT.

“But it is even more unthinkable now that that should continue.”