Press briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: House of Lords Reform, Shilpa Shetty, EU Commission "Green" Criminal Laws and Climate Change
House of Lords Reform
Asked to confirm that the Prime Minister at PMQs today had said that he would be voting for a 50/50 proposal on the House of Lords reform, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) replied that what the Prime Minister had said was that what he applauded and fully supported was Jack Straw’s efforts to try and find the centre of gravity on this issue. However, the Prime Minister recognised that it was a free vote, and he would make his position clear sometime nearer the free vote. The PMOS said that it was unlikely that the Prime Minister would say today what precisely his position was. Rather, the Prime Minister thought that Jack Straw had done a very good job of finding out where a consensus might be.
Put that the Prime Minister’s answer was ambiguous, the PMOS replied that what he applauded was what Jack Straw had done.
Put that the Prime Minister had very clearly said that he had now accepted the case for a hybrid House, the PMOS replied that the Prime Minister accepted that the debate had moved on. What the manifesto commitment had set out to do was to try and find a consensus, not only within the House of Commons, but also between the two Houses. That was what Jack Straw was trying to do, and the Prime Minister fully supported him in his efforts to do so.
Asked if it stood and fell on the premise that the House accepted the PR arrangement, the PMOS replied that if people started with what the manifesto commitment was, it was to try and reach a decision. Therefore, what the Leader had come up with was a way of reaching a decision in the House of Commons. There then had to be a consensus between the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Put that it was whether the MPs accepted the PR system, the PMOS replied that it was a Government proposal, and the Government would support that proposal.
Asked if we were suggesting that the Prime Minister had still not made up his mind, or that he did not back his own Leader of the House, the PMOS pointed out that he had said this morning in advance of PMQs that the Prime Minister fully supported the efforts of the Leader to find the centre of gravity. He also fully supported the process that the Leader had come up with, and he would make his own position on his view on what was the most likely option to find a consensus near the free vote. The Prime Minister had given a clear indication of the way in which he was heading, but he had not made absolutely clear what way he would vote.
Asked with regards to the preliminary vote, that implied that that was not going to be a free vote, the PMS said that the process would not be a free vote, but the composition would be.
Shilpa Shetty
Asked what happened at the Prime Minister’s meeting with Shilpa Shetty earlier today, the PMOS replied that the meeting was requested by Shilpa Shetty. The serious aspect of the Big Brother issue was that firstly, it had called into question this country’s attitude towards racism. The response to that from the country and from the Government was to underline that there was no room in the UK at all for any perception of racism whatsoever. Secondly, it called into question the relations between Britain and India, and the Government at the time used the opportunity to underline its commitment to that relationship. Shilpa Shetty had asked for the meeting to thank the Prime Minister for making both the points clear, and the Prime Minister was pleased to meet her.
Asked if the Prime Minister genuinely thought that the UK’s relationship with India was called into question by Big Brother, the PMOS said that if people had seen the demonstrations in India at the time they were against something that was on UK television, that was a serious development. We all knew from sad history, situations like that could very quickly turn into something very seriously. Therefore, people should not underestimate that. Equally, it was genuinely the case that this country reacted very strongly to any perception of racism at all.
Put by the Daily Express that Shilpa Shetty had met with four other Cabinet Ministers today, and having been told how busy Government was at the moment, did four need to meet her, the PMOS said that he had not noticed the Daily Express had covered this issue any less than any other paper, so presumably, the journalist was applying that to his own paper. The PMOS said the journalist should take the beam out of his own eye before he criticized others.
Asked if it was correct that the Prime Minister had given Shilpa Shetty a present of a signed portrait of the Commons, and also, what did the Prime Minister make of her, and did he give any thought to the suggestion that she would make a good envoy, the PMOS said that he had not heard any of the suggestions! The PMOS said that there was the photocall aspect of this, as well as the serious aspect of it all.
Asked where the meeting was, and how long did it go on for, the PMOS replied that it took place in the Prime Minister’s room in the Commons, and it was a few minutes long.
EU Commission "Green" Criminal Laws
Asked if we had a response to the EU Commission’s proposal to bring in "green" criminal laws, punishable by prison sentences, the PMOS said that it was the Commission that proposed and the Council that disposed. Therefore, these were simply proposals, and they would be considered like any other proposal.
Climate Change
Put that the Prime Minister was asked at the Liaison Committee this week about fresh talks with the Americans on climate change, the PMOS said that we were in touch with the Americans and lots of others about climate change.
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