Vince Cable eyes 'substantial role' in event of future coalition government
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Version 0 of 1. Vince Cable has indicated that he would like to take over from George Osborne as chancellor in any future Liberal Democrat coalition with Conservatives. Cable, the current business secretary, is generally regarded as the most leftwing of the Lib Dem cabinet ministers, and is regularly touted as a possible partner for Ed Miliband if the party went into coalition with Labour. But speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Cable was critical of Miliband’s “very poor judgment” and said he was ready to “stomach” another five years of cooperation with the Tories. And he left no doubt which position he has his eye on in any coalition government: “I’m up for having a substantial role. My prime interest is the economy. “There are two economic departments in Whitehall and I’ve done one of them for five years. I’ll leave you to do the maths.” Cable did not rule out a coalition with Labour, but said: “I can envisage a scenario in which I would stomach working with the Tories if the situation required. You have to let your head rule your heart.” He described Cameron and Osborne as “highly intelligent guys” whose abilities he respected. But when asked about Miliband, he said: “He could have done so much better and has made two really big mistakes. He should have said up-front on the financial crisis that ‘We screwed up seriously’ and done a mea culpa.” |