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Vince Cable has been accused of trying to "take the reins" of the Liberal Democrat party after he was implicated in a "shambolic coup" to oust Nick Clegg.
The business secretary admitted he knew that his friend and party peer Lord Oakeshott had privately commissioned polls which were later used to try and undermine Mr Clegg’s position.
But in a statement addressing allegations of a plot Mr Cable failed to offer Mr Clegg his backing or endorsement.
One of the Lib Dem's leading figures accused Cable of trying to "take the reins" of the party and said that Mr Cable has "leadership ambitions".
However, in what critics described as a sign of weakness following his party’s wipeout in the local and European elections, Mr Clegg failed to sack or even condemn Mr Cable.
His decision led to further turmoil in the Liberal Democrats after a week in which MPs have called on Mr Clegg to stand aside and let Mr Cable take over. » | Steven Swinford, Senior Political Correspondent | Wednesday, May 28, 2014
