Cable snubs request for HBOS dossier

Business secretary Vince Cable has quashed an attempt to make public the “secret dossier” on Lloyds TSB’s takeover of HBOS despite having called for its publication when he was in opposition.

The dossier, compiled for Cable’s Labour predecessor Lord Peter Mandelson, is said to reveal details about the state of HBOS’s balance sheet in the run up to the 2009 forced marriage.

Cable denied a freedom of information request by the Lloyds Shareholder Action Group, which is seeking compensation for losses incurred by its members.