It turns out that the Secretary of State had jokingly told aides that the launch of this week's new Government Play Strategy would be a good excuse to get a Scalextric into the Christmas party.
Unfortunately, or fortunately for us, by the time this was passed down the line, some civil servants took the joke literally - and managed to get the firm to provide one of their racing car sets for free for the night.
Perhaps this also explains how Damian Green was arrested...
