Twickenham MP Vince Cable today insisted he would not walk out of Government after telling undercover reporters the coalition was "like fighting a war".
The Business Secretary was recorded making the claims to reporters from the Daily Telegraph - posing as his Twickenham constituents - and claimed he would use the “nuclear option”.
During an interview at his constituency office, he is reported to have said: “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."
The Telegraph also reported Dr Cable had criticised the speed at which the coalition was trying to push through change, without thinking through properly what they were doing, and suggested the Liberal Democrats should be “putting a break on it”.
However, in a later statement, Dr Cable said: "Naturally I am embarrased by these comments and I regret them.
"I have no intention of leaving the Government.
"I am proud of what it is achieving and will continue to play my full part in delivering the priorities I and my party believe in, which are enshrined in the coalition agreement."
His comments were the second time this month he has seemingly embarrassed the Government by revealing his private thoughts about tensions within the coalition without realising they would be published.
He told the Richmond and Twickenham Times on December 3 that he would vote for a rise in tuition fees.
He had earlier only offered to abstain to offer an "olive branch" to his Liberal Democrat colleagues who found the policy "difficult".
He later admitted he had assumed his candid comments would not be printed until the following week, after the House of Commons vote.
However, the story was picked up from the Richmond and Twickenham Times website by all the major broadcasters within hours, setting Dr Cable on a collision course with members of his own party who had signed a pledge to oppose any increase.
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