His decision to "tell all" about the meal forced Downing Street to reveal for the first time that the event was held on Thursday, 23rd December last year, less than 48 hours after Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, was stripped of his role in deciding the fate of News Corp's takeover of BskyB. Mr Cable lost the role after telling undercover reporters at The Daily Telegraph that he was "declaring war" on Rupert Mudoch.