Eeyore Cable undermines George Osborne by echoing his comments on the economy

Poor Vince Cable. He just can’t help but brim with joy about the economy. He’s often spotted skipping across Parliament square to the Business department, humming ‘Oh, Happy Day!’ under his breath at the latest set of GDP figures. George Osborne and Cable’s Tory colleagues are always having to tell Vince to calm down a bit: he doesn’t want to seem too complacent about the clouds lifting from the economy.

But even such a joyful Lib Dem as Dr Cable must have been a little dispirited to read that everyone has written his speech this morning up as an attempt to undermine George Osborne. ‘I think George Osborne’s comments the other day were spot on!’ he told the Today programme a few minutes ago, puzzled that anyone should infer anything else from a speech just two days after the Chancellor’s address in which he will warn against complacency on the economy.