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| No early Lib Dem split with Tories, says Danny Alexander | No early Lib Dem split with Tories, says Danny Alexander |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Danny Alexander has slapped down his Liberal Democrat colleague Vince Cable for suggesting there could be an early split with the Conservatives. | Danny Alexander has slapped down his Liberal Democrat colleague Vince Cable for suggesting there could be an early split with the Conservatives. |
| The senior Treasury minister insisted the coalition would last until the general election in 2015 after Cable, the business secretary, said there was a "highly sensitive" possibility it could break up sooner. Cable also signalled he had drawn up personal "red lines" that could trigger his resignation from the cabinet. | The senior Treasury minister insisted the coalition would last until the general election in 2015 after Cable, the business secretary, said there was a "highly sensitive" possibility it could break up sooner. Cable also signalled he had drawn up personal "red lines" that could trigger his resignation from the cabinet. |
| It comes after days of tension between the Lib Dem leadership and Cable, who only turned up at the party conference at the last minute to back its official motion in support of economic austerity. | It comes after days of tension between the Lib Dem leadership and Cable, who only turned up at the party conference at the last minute to back its official motion in support of economic austerity. |
| Speaking on ITV's Daybreak on Tuesday morning, Alexander said the party was completely committed to seeing the coalition through. | Speaking on ITV's Daybreak on Tuesday morning, Alexander said the party was completely committed to seeing the coalition through. |
| "We are proving our track record in government and we are going to stay in the coalition government right up until the election in 2015," he said. "I read his [Cable's] remarks and he didn't say that the coalition would split earlier, he was asked questions about what was possible; and what I'm saying to you is it is our intention as the leadership of this party to make sure that this coalition lasts right to the election in 2015." | "We are proving our track record in government and we are going to stay in the coalition government right up until the election in 2015," he said. "I read his [Cable's] remarks and he didn't say that the coalition would split earlier, he was asked questions about what was possible; and what I'm saying to you is it is our intention as the leadership of this party to make sure that this coalition lasts right to the election in 2015." |
| Sir Nick Harvey, a former coalition defence minister, also poured cold water on Cable's comments, saying he did not think there was any chance of an early split. "The idea we would stage some tactical bust-up six months before an election is ridiculous," he told BBC News. | Sir Nick Harvey, a former coalition defence minister, also poured cold water on Cable's comments, saying he did not think there was any chance of an early split. "The idea we would stage some tactical bust-up six months before an election is ridiculous," he told BBC News. |
| Alexander was also forced to disown an email mistakenly released by the party suggesting the Liberal Democrats were planning to raise taxes on people earning more than £50,000 a year. | Alexander was also forced to disown an email mistakenly released by the party suggesting the Liberal Democrats were planning to raise taxes on people earning more than £50,000 a year. |
| The chief secretary to the Treasury said he had no idea where the figure came from, adding that earning £50,000 a year "isn't rich". | The chief secretary to the Treasury said he had no idea where the figure came from, adding that earning £50,000 a year "isn't rich". |
| Ahead of his speech to the conference in Glasgow on Tuesday afternoon, Alexander said the party did want the wealthy to pay more but its current proposals were a mansion tax, scrapping some tax relief on pensions, increasing capital gains tax and clamping down on avoidance. They were "all ways of asking the very wealthiest in our country to pay more tax so that as we go through the next stage of the big adjustment that we are making as a country, we are making sure that the wealthiest in the land are making a fair contribution", he said. | Ahead of his speech to the conference in Glasgow on Tuesday afternoon, Alexander said the party did want the wealthy to pay more but its current proposals were a mansion tax, scrapping some tax relief on pensions, increasing capital gains tax and clamping down on avoidance. They were "all ways of asking the very wealthiest in our country to pay more tax so that as we go through the next stage of the big adjustment that we are making as a country, we are making sure that the wealthiest in the land are making a fair contribution", he said. |
| "For people on low and middle incomes, the big promise is that we are going to go on cutting your taxes because we know that you need a bit more money in your pockets to deal with the big challenges you are facing." | "For people on low and middle incomes, the big promise is that we are going to go on cutting your taxes because we know that you need a bit more money in your pockets to deal with the big challenges you are facing." |
| Liberal Democrat members voted on Monday to back the leadership over its commitment to bringing down the deficit with spending cuts, coupled with tax rises after the next election. | Liberal Democrat members voted on Monday to back the leadership over its commitment to bringing down the deficit with spending cuts, coupled with tax rises after the next election. |
| Alexander said that was the right thing to do, but there could be "no bonanza" of spending afterwards because the world had changed. | Alexander said that was the right thing to do, but there could be "no bonanza" of spending afterwards because the world had changed. |
| "There are going to be issues that remain, particularly big pressures in the long term, like pensions spending and health spending and care spending, because like every country in the western world we face these big challenges of an ageing population." | "There are going to be issues that remain, particularly big pressures in the long term, like pensions spending and health spending and care spending, because like every country in the western world we face these big challenges of an ageing population." |
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