St Vince? Cable is reported to have protested Osborne

Cable ‘tried to block Osborne appointment’

Cable ‘tried to block Osborne appointment’

By politics.co.uk staff

Vince Cable tried block George Osborne’s appointment as chancellor during Liberal Democrat negotiations with the Conservatives, media reports have suggested.

According to the News of the World, Mr Cable said he could not work with the young shadow chancellor and demanded he be given the role, or that it go to Ken Clark.

But David Cameron refused to sacrifice his long-term ally and Mr Cable was given the business secretary role.

The report comes as Britain struggles to come to terms with its new government.

Lib Dem members will vote on the pact today in Birmingham, with former leader Charles Kennedy revealing he had not voted for the arrangement in an article in the Observer.