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"
Vince Cable has refused to apologise for "ruffling a few feathers" and defended his "blunt" warning of a potential housing bubble, insisting someone in the Government had to speak out on the issue.
The business secretary repeated concerns the Government's Help To Buy scheme could overheat the housing bubble and should be restricted to areas where prices are already low.
Asked at a fringe event organised by The Independent why he seemed to be at the centre of controversy every year, Mr Cable said: "Maybe people do think I am a bit blunt. I do not regard that as a criticism."
He continued: "Where there are differences in our coalition I am perfectly willing to fire off about it.
"There has been this flurry about the housing market. I thought that someone in Government had to say something. I said it.
"Maybe it's ruffled a few feathers. I'm not apologetic."
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.