Kingston and Surbiton MP Edward Davey has insisted he is not disappointed to miss out on a cabinet seat, and denied rumours he hates new deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

The Liberal Democrat MP, who defeated his Conservative election rival Helen Whately, now finds himself working with former political enemies, but said he thought Kingston Hospital was safe.

The full list of non-cabinet level Government positions is expected to be released later today.

He backed the deal, but said he could not believe how many Liberal Democrat policies they had managed to negotiate into the agreement document.

The Lib Dems’ Shadow Foreign Secretary could still end up with a Government position, to the opposition of many of the people who voted for him in Kingston and Surbiton.

Liberal Democrat supporter Leslie Jones, who lives in Surbiton, said: “Remember that the main point in every election flyer from the Lib Dem's was ‘Labour cannot win here’.

“Many voters like me who voted for Edward Davey didn’t do so that he might serve in a Government led by David Cameron.”

Mr Davey said: “I strongly understand that. We have all had to go through a lot to get through where we are.”

And he denied rumours, passed on by his Tory parliamentary rival in 2005, Kevin Davis, that he hates Nick Clegg.

He said: “It is absolutely and utterly not true. I was on Nick Clegg’s campaign team. I have been in Nick Clegg’s office late at night discussing political strategy.

“Kevin Davis has been in Somerset for quite a while after he was defeated as a councillor and defeated by me as parliamentary candidate and when he tried to defeat David Laws he was absolutely trounced.

“I can understand why Kevin Davis is rather angry with the Lib Dems and maybe he is tired after the election but he is completely and utterly wrong. He doesn’t have a scintilla of evidence for this.”

Constituents would not suffer from seeing him devote more time to Government, he promised, pointing to the regular advice surgery he held on Monday morning and another due for Friday evening.

Mrs Whately, who is on holiday with her husband and son, said: “Though I’m of course disappointed not to be representing Kingston in parliament, the outcome of the negotiations between parties - with David Cameron as Prime Minister - is good news for the constituency and particularly for our local hospital.”

She pointed to Mr Cameron’s pledge to protect Kingston Hospital and said: “I cannot imagine the Lib Dems in the coalition will prevent him delivering on this."