Business Secretary Vince Cable has raised the prospect of the Coalition government breaking up before the election, during a fringe event at the Lib Dem conference. Earlier he attacked the Conservatives as "a nasty party which has reverted to type"
The Conservatives are a nasty party which has reverted to type, Vince Cable said in a sharp attack on his coalition colleagues.
The Business Secretary said it had been the right move to go into coalition with David Cameron's party but that did not mean he agreed with many of the Tory policies or philosophies.
Dr Cable told the conference: "Like you, I have spent most of my political life fighting the Tories... but despite that I believe it was both brave and absolutely right for the party and the leadership to work with the Tories in an economic emergency in the national interest.
"Theresa May once characterised the Tories a decade ago as the nasty party. After a few years trying to be nice and inclusive it has reverted to type.
"We have got dog whistle politics, orchestrated by an Australian Rottweiler, we have got hostility to organised labour, people on benefits and immigrant minorities."
The Lib Dem conference just wouldn't be the same without Vince being Vince. He was on fine form, laying into the Tories at every turn
The leader is safe (by and large). Vince is on message (mostly). And the storm clouds in Glasgow are meteorological (rather than political).
Party conferences are upon us, but do you know which beach Neil Kinnock slipped-up on or why David Miliband held that banana? Find out here.