The decision to set the novel, Open Arms, in India wasn’t random. Thanks to his first wife Olympia Rebelo, a Kenyan of Indian descent, who died from cancer in 2001, Cable has a long-standing love of India that is clearly visible in his Twickenham home, where Indian art and antiques fill the living room.

Dressed slightly incongruously in a suit and slippers, Cable is squeezing in the interview with Property Week between a visit to his local gym (the 75-year-old works out several times a week) and an appearance on Songs of Praise.

The Lib Dem leader admits that after “two years in exile, I didn’t think I would be coming back into politics” and explains how he hopes to turn the party’s fortunes around.