Press briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: EU Constitution, Helmand Rescue, Defence Training Review, Racism, Hayden-Phillips and BBC Licence Fee
EU Constitution
Asked if it was still the case that we were committed to a referendum on the EU Constitution, given that Angela Merkel had said that one of her priorities was to revive the Constitution in some form or another, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) replied that we should take things step by step. Obviously the first step was to try and reach a consensus on the way forward, but that had to reflect not only the position of the EU Presidency, but also the positions on the ground including France and Holland above all, given the results of the referenda there.
Asked whether this issue would come up this afternoon during the Prime Minister’s meeting with the French PM this afternoon, and what else would be on the agenda, the PMOS replied that it would be a freewheeling discussion so he could neither confirm nor deny the possibility that this issue would arise.
Asked whether it was still our position that there were fundamental flaws in the running of a 25 member EU and that some changes needed to be made, the PMOS replied that the Prime Minister had made clear his consistent view was that an EU of 25 members could not be run the way an EU of 6,12, or 15 members, therefore there would have to be changes. Those changes had to go with the grain of where the EU was, and the EU was very much focused on practical outcomes on issues such as energy. Let us see where we get to rather than speculate come about.
Helmand Rescue
Asked about the possibility of the 4 men involved in a rescue mission in Helmand on Monday receiving honours, the PMOS replied that Prime Minister would obviously pay tribute to the bravery displayed, but in terms of honours it would be totally wrong for him to speculate.
Defence Training Review
Asked to comment on Welsh MPs who were claiming victory this morning in the long running battle on this issue, the PMOS replied that he refused to speculate on the outcome of what Des Browne was going to say later today, other than to say that it clearly did make sense to deliver training on a defence wide, tri-service basis rather than a single service basis. That would allow the training to be used in a more effective way and gave better support to operational deployment. It clearly made sense in terms of what was important which was the quality of training given to those in our defence support system.
Asked if it was correct that the Prime Minister had invited Welsh MPs to a reception at No10 this afternoon, the PMOS replied that he was not aware but would check.
Racism
Put to him that the Prime Minister’s fight against racism was well documented so was he not quite appalled to see it on our TV screens, the PMOS replied that the Prime Minister had not seen the particular programme so would not comment directly on the programme. Against that his position on racism was well known, and the Government’s position on racism was well known.
Put to him that he was being reticent on the issue and was this due to the peerage that had been given to the broadcasters of this programme, and further asked why we could not comment on the programme, the PMOS replied that we did take racism very seriously, but equally the Prime Minister would only comment on things that he had actually seen.
Put to him that it was his job to watch the programmes and tell the Prime Minister how appalling they were, the PMOS confessed that he had not seen the programme either.
Put to him that more people voted in Big Brother than voted in the European elections, and therefore did the Prime Minister not have a duty to keep in touch, the PMOS replied that it was a very ingenious way to work around the question, but again he would not comment.
Asked if the Prime Minister was disappointed that the Chancellor’s trip to India could be overshadowed by this story, the PMOS replied that this was an equally ingenious question, but he was sure that nothing would overshadow the Chancellor’s trip.
Hayden-Phillips
Asked if the Prime Minister would be meeting with Hayden-Phillips today, the PMOS replied that we would not be getting involved in the subject of when the Prime Minister met people who were making reports to him, but he was obviously being kept fully up to date on Hayden-Phillips’ thinking.
BBC Licence Fee
Asked if he could confirm that an announcement would be made on the BBC licence fee tomorrow, the PMOS replied that he could not confirm this.
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