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Tensions grow over ‘tens of thousands’ figure with ‘incandescent’ Vince Cable challenging policy interpretation The first major rift between David Cameron and Nick Clegg opened up after the Liberal Democrats accused the Tories of attempting to breach the agreement on immigration. In a sign of tensions in the run up to the local elections and AV referendum on 5 May, senior ministerial sources dismissed Clegg’s view of the policy. The row erupted after the prime minister declared in his first major speech on the subject since the election that the government would cut net migration to the “tens of thousands” each year rather than hundreds of thousands. Cameron also warned that immigrants unable to speak English or unwilling to integrate have created a “kind of discomfort and disjointedness” which has disrupted communities. An “incandescent” Vince Cable, the business secretary who was not briefed about the speech, rounded on Cameron. “I do understand there is an election coming but talk of mass immigration risks inflaming the extremism to which he and I are both strongly opposed,” he told the BBC. Cable also challenged Cameron’s interpretation of government policy. “The reference to the tens of thousands of immigrants rather than hundreds of thousands is not part of the coalition agreement, it is Tory party policy only,” he added. Cameron slapped down Cable when he appeared to accuse him of being “off beam”. He said after his speech: “[It was] an important attempt to explain why we are doing what we are doing, why it’s right and why some of the critics of it, actually, are off beam.” Clegg, who “noted rather than approved” Cameron’s speech, was initially irritated with Cable for coming close to breaching cabinet collective responsibility. The deputy prime minister was relatively relaxed with Cameron on the grounds that he was mentioning “tens of thousands” as an aspiration and not a formal target. One senior Lib Dem, who reflected Clegg’s thinking, said: “The tens of thousands is Conservative policy. It is not Lib Dem policy. We do not think that it can be set as a target. It is not government policy.” But Tory government sources challenged Clegg’s interpretation when they insisted that the tens of thousands figure was formal coalition policy agreed by the cabinet. One source said: “That figure is in the background documents to the Queen’s speech and is in Home Office documents. It has been used on the floor of the Commons. It is government policy. “It is true that it is not in the coalition agreement. But there are quite a lot of things that are not in the coalition agreement. This policy has been cleared at all levels of government.” The row over the highly sensitive matter of immigration showed that relations between the Tories and Lib Dems are becoming tense in the run up to the elections and AV referendum. Senior Lib Dem cabinet ministers have become irritated with George Osborne over his claims about the funding of the yes campaign. Danny Alexander, Osborne’s deputy at the Treasury, accused him of “pretty desperate scaremongering”. Lib Dems made it clear that differences are extending beyond a “permitted” area, such as AV, to immigration where the coalition partners are meant to work together. Lord Oakeshott, an ally of Cable’s who resigned as a Lib Dem treasury spokesman in a row with Osborne over the banks, hit out at Cameron. “When something is not in the coalition agreement it does not become coalition policy just because David Cameron says so, even if he has shown his speech to Nick Clegg,” he said. Oakeshott’s dig at Clegg highlighted tensions between Cable and the deputy prime minister. Cable was angry with both Cameron and Clegg for failing to brief him on the speech which relates to his ministerial portfolio. “Vince didn’t know anything about the speech and was absolutely horrified,” one source said. “Nick is clearly not being tough enough in saying no to Cameron.” Lib Dem sources had earlier hailed Cable for his success in restraining the Tories in cabinet negotiations over immigration. They believe the party’s greatest success was in rejecting Tory pressure to impose a cap on student migration. “Nick and Vince are very proud to have worked hard to get the policies where they are. The Tories wanted a student migration cap. That has not happened.” Clegg had earlier tried to downplay the differences. His spokesman said: “This is a Conservative prime minister speaking to Conservative party activists using Conservative language.” Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said: “The Tory-led government’s immigration policy is in chaos. And now the business secretary has said he doesn’t even agree with the policy in the first place. “David Cameron said ‘no ifs, no buts’ he would deliver on his target to cut net migration to the tens of thousands, yet Vince Cable said that it isn’t coalition policy. What on earth is going on?” David Cameron Immigration and asylum Liberal-Conservative coalition Nick Clegg Vince Cable Elections 2011 Alternative vote Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk