Press briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Police Inquiry, House of Lords Reform, Letter Bombs, Lord Goldsmith/Attorney General and Ms Shilpa Shetty
Policy Inquiry
Asked if there had been any further contact with the police, the PMOS said that not that he had been aware of though he confessed he had not asked the question this morning.
House of Lords Reform
Asked of the Prime Minister had a favoured option from those put forward by the Leader of the House Jack Straw, the PMOS said the first thing was probably to let the Leader set out what the options are, but what the Prime Minister did believe was that the Leader had done a very good job at sounding out opinion and working out where the centre of gravity is, but it would be better for the Leader to set out the options.
Asked despite the Prime Minister’s views would there be a conclusion on the issue, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister had always said that he wants to try and achieve a consensus and to move forward. This is a way of trying to reach that consensus. But in a situation where there is a free vote, and where different members of the Cabinet had hold different positions on it, it is not in the Prime Minister’s gift to deliver that consensus; that consensus has to emerge through the usual processes.
Asked if the Prime Minister believed in a 50/50 solution, the PMOS said first and foremost that he should observe the proprieties, particularly on an issue on which Parliament is supreme and let the Leader of the House set out his proposal and then it can be raised this afternoon. Asked twice what the Prime Minister’s preference was, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister believed that the Leader of the House had done a very good job at identifying where the centre of possible consensus might be and he fully supported the Leader in his efforts to achieve that.
Asked as the Prime Minister had previously criticised the possibility of a hybrid House over an appointed House, had the Prime Minister’s views changed, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister recognises that the debate on this has moved and is moving and therefore you have to recognise where the centre of the gravity has moved to and that is the task he has charged the Leader of the House with was to reach that point.
Asked if the Prime Minister thought there was enough time to get this through the Commons in this Parliament, the PMOS said it would be best to take it one step at a time and the first step was that the Leader of the House publishes his proposals today, then we see what the House mood is. Asked if there wasn’t time did that mean that the white paper would have hit the spike, the PMOS said the question came under the heading of hypothetical and he only dealt with the reality. The reality is that there is a white paper going to be published today, there then will be a free vote in the House, everyone will be in a much better position to make prognostications about the future once we have gone through that process. Let us get there first and then the Lords have to speak.
Asked if the Prime Minister would give his indication once the Leader of the House has spoken, the PMOS said that he would hate to take away any element of surprise from the lobby so suggested that things be taken one step at a time.
Asked if there was any precedent for the Government to give the House an offer they can’t refuse, in as much as they have to come up with an answer, the PMOS said that he wasn’t an expert on the House and therefore he was the wrong person to ask about precedents and that the Prime Minister was fully in agreement with the process as going to be outlined by the Leader of the House.
Letter Bombs
Asked if No10 had received any letter bombs, the PMOS said that they had not before the press team had left for lobby otherwise he might not have been here.
Lord Goldsmith, Attorney General
Asked by Mr. Tim Shipman of the Daily Mail whether as "Goldsmith" was in front of a select committee this afternoon, did the prime Minister, in any way think that his (Goldsmiths) role needs to be reviewed, the PMOS replied by asking if by "Goldsmith" he was referring to the Attorney General, otherwise known as Lord Goldsmith. He added that he knew that the Daily Mail was into insulting anyone who happens to pass at the moment but suggested that the Attorney General perhaps deserved a bit of respect. Quentin Letts may think it was okay to insult anyone but a bit of respect could be no bad thing. The PMOS went on to answer, the Attorney General’s role remains as constitutionally set out.
Put to him that there was of course the argument that a peer can be referred to by their name, especially from another peer, the PMOS said that he thought no one had ever accused Mr. Shipman of being a peer, the journalist added perhaps in waiting.
Ms Shilpa Shetty
Asked if Ms. Shilpa Shetty would be meeting the Prime Minister today, the PMOS said that he believed that she was in the vicinity and if the cameras and so on which the PMOS saw on the way over to the House seemed to suggest that that was the case, and it is not impossible that there may be a meeting but let’s wait and see. Asked if she would be clawing her way past security, the PMOS said it wasn’t so much security he noticed on the way over to the House. Asked then would the Prime Minister claw his way over to her, the PMOS said he doubted that would happen either, at least not if we could help it. The PMOS added that the Prime Minister had quite a lot on as it was.
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