Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Spokesman on: Cabinet activity, Georgia Summit, by election, energy windfall tax and the Prime Minister in Scotland.
Cabinet
Asked for details of upcoming Cabinet meetings, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) told the assembled press that there would be a Cabinet meeting next week. He did not have any information on political Cabinet meetings.
Georgia Summit
Asked whether the Prime Minister would be attending the proposed summit on the situation in Georgia, the PMS said that the proposal had been made in the last few days and we very much welcomed the announcement of the meeting. It had not been finally decided who would be attending from the UK.
Asked if the Prime Minister thought that the summit should look at ways to punish Russia, the PMS said that the agenda was really a matter for the Presidency. As he had said, this proposal had only just been made in the past couple of days and no doubt there would be intensive preparation ahead of the summit where a whole range of issues would be considered.
By election
Asked whether the Prime Minister would be visiting his neighbouring constituency in the run-up to the by election there, the PMS replied that he was unaware of any specific plans but clearly any questions that related to the by election were a matter for the Labour Party. Put that the Prime Minister might take on the constituency work of John McDougall, the PMS said that he was not aware of that but people should check with his political colleague.
Windfall tax
Asked what the Prime Minister’s position was on a windfall tax, the PMS said that there had been stories in the press this morning. It went without saying that tax was a matter for the Chancellor and the Treasury. The Treasury always received a whole range of representations about proposals relating to tax and of course the Chancellor and the Treasury would consider any such representations in the normal way.
Asked what the Prime Minister thought of members of the Payroll Vote expressing strong opinions on the matter, the PMS replied that what mattered was the view taken by Treasury Ministers because it was Treasury Ministers who spoke on behalf of the Government.
Prime Minister in Scotland
Asked if it was the case that what the Prime Minister was doing this week was no different from what he was doing before he went to Beijing and the only holiday the Prime Minister had had was in Suffolk, the PMS said that the Prime Minister was working all of the time, so he would not necessarily accept that characterisation of what was holiday and what wasn’t. The Prime Minister was in his constituency this week working. As had been the case throughout the whole of August, when the Prime Minister had not been in London, there had been other senior Cabinet Ministers available and on hand to help out with any day-to-day business. Jack Straw would perform that role this week.
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