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Vince Cable: Lib Dems faced 'veiled threats' over Murdoch's BSkyB bid.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012...doch-bskyb-bid

Vince Cable has told the Leveson inquiry that Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation made "veiled threats" that if he did not approve the company's BSkyB takeover his Liberal Democrat party would be "done over" by its newspapers.

The business secretary – who was responsible for adjudicating on the Sky bid in its early stages – said that he had heard about the company's apparently aggressive stance "directly and indirectly from colleagues", who he did not name.

Cable added that he thought "somebody used the phrase 'done over' by the News International press" and that "I took those things seriously."

He said that he believed that the threats emerged "in conversation" between Lib Dem colleagues and News Corp lobbyist Frédéric Michel, adding "but I can't be absolutely certain".

Pressed by Robert Jay QC, counsel to the inquiry, if Michel's name was "expressly mentioned to you" by, Cable said that "it was at that stage, yes indeed".

The cabinet minister said that he told by "one individual" that Michel had said this "but he told me in confidence and I don't want to breach that confidence".

He added that he refused to be intimidated by these veiled threats in his handling of the News Corp/BSkyB deal.