TORIES erupted in anger yesterday at the news that Gordon Brown is eyeing up one of the world’s most important financial roles.

TORIES erupted in anger yesterday at the news that Gordon Brown is eyeing up one of the world’s most important financial roles.

Ex-PM Gordon Brown wants the top job at the International Monetary Fund, which plays a crucial role in governing global markets.

Tory MP Matthew Hancock said: “Gordon Brown left a terrible economic record. He would be totally inappropriate to run the IMF

Nick Clegg is 'locked in the boot' of David Cameron's car, blasts Ed Miliband

ED Miliband yesterday accused Nick Clegg of being “locked in the boot” of a car being driven in the wrong direction by David Cameron.

The Labour leader stepped up his attack on the Coalition as he hit the ­campaign trail ahead of the local elections.

In Newcastle he tried to woo Lib Dems by saying Mr Clegg no longer represented them.

He said: “The Lib Dems are not front-seat ­passengers or back-seat passengers in this Conservative-led government. They are locked in the boot of a vehicle travelling rapidly in the wrong direction.

“We may have heard ­shouting coming from that boot. But it isn’t changing the way the Government is ­headed.”

Vince Cable risks new storm by sharing platform with Labour leader to push for move to AV

Vince Cable will share a platform with Labour leader Ed Miliband tomorrow - setting up another clash with Prime Minister David Cameron.

The Liberal Democrat Cabinet Minister is joining forces with Mr Miliband in a bid to win the May 5 referendum on changing Britain’s voting system.

They will line up together at a Press conference in London, where they will issue a joint plea to scrap the first-past-the-post voting system to ‘make politics fairer’.

The double act comes days after Business Secretary Mr Cable accused Mr Cameron of ‘inflammatory’ remarks over immigration, prompting calls for disciplinary action by some Tory MPs.

And it is bound to lead to further claims that Mr Cable, who once worked for former Labour leader John Smith, has more in common with Labour than his Conservative colleagues in the Coalition.

The joint-appearance emerged as Mr Cameron insisted the referendum would not end the coalition.

He said the losing side would just have to pick themselves up and 'get on with the things that really matter'.

The Prime Minister called for a 'reasonable argument on both sides' and expressed hope it would help 'fire up' the public.

He said: 'Whatever the result on May 5, this is a five-year Government, Nick and I are absolutely committed to taking the Government and its programme forward.

'Whoever is on the losing side as it were will just have to pick themselves up and say: well, it was a fair argument, a fair fight, a fair referendum, the country has decided and now we have got to get on with all the things that really matter so much.'

Mr Cable and Mr Miliband will appear with Labour-supporting comedian Eddie Izzard, a cheerleader for the campaign to switch to an Alternative Vote (AV) system for elections.

The joint appearance at Broadway House in Westminster is all the more embarrassing as Mr Miliband has refused to share a platform with Mr Cable’s party leader, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, on the grounds that he is so unpopular he will turn people away from the ‘Yes to AV’ campaign.

By contrast, genial Mr Cable, who has appeared on Strictly Come Dancing, has enjoyed better ratings.

Labour MPs hope the event will add to the growing tensions between the Coalition’s Tory and Lib Dem allies. Mr Miliband and Mr Cable will denounce the Tories for trying to keep the first-past-the-post system.

Mr Cameron, who is backing the ‘No’ campaign, will hit back by launching a new attack on the Lib Dems over the referendum, claiming a Yes to AV vote will undermine democracy.

 

Detectives said on Thursday they had arrested another reporter over allegations of phone hacking by journalists at the News of the World.

The arrest is the third in just over a week in a scandal that has already forced an admission of liability from owner News International and led to the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman.

Detectives are investigating claims that journalists on the weekly tabloid were hacking into the voicemails of members of the royal family, politicians, celebrities and sports stars.

Police said a 55-year-old man had been held on suspicion of conspiracy to unlawfully intercept communications and unlawful interception of mobile phones.

A source close to News International confirmed the man was one of the paper's senior reporters, James Weatherup.

Last week, detectives arrested Neville Thurlbeck, the paper's chief reporter, and Ian Edmondson, a former senior editor who was sacked after an internal inquiry.

There was no immediate comment from News International about the latest arrest.

Until last week, News International had always blamed rogue reporters for any hacking, first uncovered in 2005/6 when its royal reporter and a private detective were jailed for snooping on voicemail messages of royal aides.

But on Friday it admitted liability and said it would pay compensation in eight cases.

It has also written to nine others who claim their phones were hacked and who have started legal action against the group, asking them to provide more evidence.

Lawyers say the company could face a flood of claims which could cost 40 million pounds.

The Financial Times reported on Thursday that the agent who represents England footballer Wayne Rooney was also planning to sue the newspaper over claims his phone was hacked.

The scandal has embroiled the prime minister whose judgement has been called into question over his decision to appoint Andy Coulson as his media chief.

Coulson, who was the paper's editor when the hacking scandal broke, later resigned his Downing Street post although he always denied any knowledge of the practice.

The Guardian said on its website that Weatherup had been news editor at the paper under Coulson and was one of his inner circle of executives.

LIB Dems have ditched Nick Clegg from campaign literature as his broken vows have made him so “toxic” with voters.

Even party activists in the Deputy PM’s home city of Sheffield are handing out election leaflets that do not feature a picture of him.

And it emerged last night that the Lib Dem leader in Liverpool, Warren Bradley, has called for Mr Clegg to pull out of the Coalition before the party “disappears into the annals of history”.

In a confidential email to Mr Clegg, Mr Bradley blamed the pact with the Tories for the Lib Dems’ looming disaster in next month’s elections.Mr Bradley, who led the city council for five years, said: “The boil is about to come to a head and burst (probably on election night).”

In the email marked private, he added: “Many other long serving councillors could be defeated not because of their record but because of your record and the perception of what we as Lib Dems now are.”

Before the contents of the email came to light, he distanced himself from Mr Clegg by saying: “We couldn’t possibly use him as part of our campaign. I think it would be a really bad move to do so.

“I think Nick Clegg would probably say ‘for God’s sake, keep me away from your campaign’.”

In Scotland, Lib Dem candidates have also axed Mr Clegg from their material.

Scotland’s Lib Dem leader, Tavish Scott, admitted that Mr Clegg makes him “grimace” and said the pact with the Tories at Westminster had made his campaign “difficult”. Clive Betts, Labour’s MP for Sheffield South East, said: “As the man who embodies their broken promises, Nick Clegg is becoming more and more toxic to his own party.”