Cable slapped down after declaring war on Murdoch
The Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable has found himself under fire after 'declaring war' on the Murdoch press and attempting to block BSkyB a deal
The Coalition Business Secretary was to have the final say on whether News Corporation’s bid to take full control of BSkyB should be allowed to go ahead. He also said that he had already used his powers to ‘block’ the £7billion deal.
But as a result of his comments the Prime Minister promptly moved responsibility for the review to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport headed by Conservative Jeremy Hunt, who is deemed to be much more likely to give the deal the green light.
Adding to the growing media storm is the fact that the interview was reported by the BBC, not the Daily Telegraph,whose journalists recorded Cable posing as two of his constituents. Insiders, upset at the Telegraph not reporting the comments then leaked it to the BBC.
The BBC claimed that The Telegraph did not publish the damaging statement, as they supported a campaign to prevent Murdoch’s takeover bid succeeding.
In a statement Cable said: "I fully accept the decision of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. I deeply regret the comments I made and apologise for the embarrassment that I have caused the government."
However, he has so far kept his job. News Corporation expressed concern about the impartiality of the process.