Cable reveals his need for speed

The outwardly-unassuming Treasury spokesman unmasked himself as a closet Jeremy Clarkson when he chose an Aston Martin as the one luxury item he would take to a desert island.

"One of the great advantages of being cast away...would be that one wouldn't have to worry about being politically correct," he told BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.

"If this was a developed desert island with Tarmacked roads, I would have a really fast car, an Aston Martin, and enjoy speed," he said, in an interview to be broadcast later on Sunday.

Mr Cable, who has shot to public prominence with his much-heralded response to a credit crunch he had long predicted, delivered the insight during a rare discussion of his personal life.

His falling out - and later reconciliation - with his father over his marriage to a Kenyan, Olympia, her long and ultimately unsuccessful battle with cancer and the unexpected rekindling of romance which saw him remarry were all tackled in what he described as "one of the most difficult things I have done".

Presenter Kirsty Young "was absolutely delightful but this was a far more gruelling interrogation than Paxman, Andrew Neil or John Humphrys, very personal and well outside my comfort zone as a Parliamentarian specialising in economic and financial matters," he wrote on his website.

"Most of the discussion was about my childhood and family life which I have usually been reticent about discussing."

One thing he spoke about, after the unusual arrangement was spotted by Ms Young, was the fact that he continues to wear the wedding ring from his first marriage alongside the band from his second.

"I've been lucky to have had two very happy marriages and I like to celebrate both of them," he explained.