The beginning of the end?

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

We’re at the beginning of the end – but the end of what? Vince Cable has revealed what many had suspected – that he’s unhappy in the coalition – and that he could threaten to use the “nuclear option” of resigning and bring down the government. In a secret recording made by the Telegraph, Cable says:

“I have a nuclear option; it’s like fighting a war. They know I have nuclear weapons, but I don’t have any conventional weapons. If they push me too far then I can walk out and bring the government down and they know that.”

“So it is a question of how you use that intelligently without getting involved in a war that destroys all of us. That is quite a difficult position to be in and I am picking my fights. Some of which you may have seen.”

This is clearly the end of something, but what? It seems a little fanciful that Cable could bring down the government on his own. He is too implicated already in some of the most unpopular decisions that the coalition have made – especially tripling tuition fees. However what we could be seeing is the end of Cable’s career as a minister. It is the worst kept secret in Westminster that both Clegg and Cameron are desperate to bring David Laws back into the cabinet.

Vince Cable may have just provided them with their chance.

Update: Listen to Cable’s comments to the Telegraph below:

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