Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Civil Renewal, Reshuffle, Euro, European Convention and David Beckham.
Civil Renewal
Questioned on the status of today’s Home Office proposals on civil renewal the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman PMOS informed journalist that the Home Office would be publishing a pamphlet today called "Civil Renewal - A New Agenda". The key over-arching themes were active citizenship, talking about how communities could become more involved and influence public services. Rather than setting out a range of very specific proposals in these areas the intention of the document was to set out some ideas and some thinking which could develop in some cases over the longer term.
Asked about the Home Secretary’s comments "attacking the judges about sentencing" the PMOS said that the government had maintained throughout that it was important that there was more consistency in sentencing, which was why we had been working on proposals following the Auld review and the Halliday review on criminal justice reform. There was legislation this session which was bold and radical and which was looking to reform a system which has been set in stone for many many years. There had been issues in relation to sentencing. Everyone agreed that obviously consistency was paramount. Obviously there needed to be a sentencing framework where the punishment fitted the crime and longer sentences for the most serious offences and repeat offenders. Questioned further on the Home Secretary’s conflict with the judiciary the PMOS said he didn’t believe the Home Secretary had been particularly hostile in his interview this morning. The Home Secretary had for example been talking about how he had an extremely good relationship with the Lord Chief Justice, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t have, in the context of that relationship, robust discussion about different issues.
Reshuffle
Asked about the possible creation of "Justice Ministry" the PMOS said he sensed that was a reshuffle question and he would refer journalist to his previous comments on reshuffle questions. Questioned further the PMOS said he felt it was touching that the journalists believed he might fold under questioning. The PMOS assured journalists that given they were political correspondents, should there be any issues which related to either the machinery of government or personnel within government, they could take it that they would be among the first to know as usual. Asked where the Prime Minister would be tomorrow the PMOS told journalists that the Prime Minister would be in Downing Street after breakfast with the French Prime Minister. Asked if he would be chairing Cabinet the PMOS said yes.
Euro
Asked what the Prime Minister what would be doing in terms of the Government’s campaign to promote Europe the PMOS said that we would be setting out more detail in due course. Obviously the European Council in Thesaloniki would be the next fixed point in relation to the whole European debate. The PMOS reminded journalists that the Foreign Secretary would be making a speech today where he would no doubt wish to develop some of the themes in the run up to the Council.
Asked how the Prime Minister justified his comments at today’s Parliamentary Labour Party meeting that the agenda of some of those against the Euro was to withdraw altogether from the EU the PMOS said he hadn’t heard the comments. Questioned further on this the PMOS said that he didn’t believe it was necessarily helpful for him 45 minutes before Prime Minister’s Questions to brief on what could clearly be viewed as an overtly party political issue which was more than likely to come up during PMQs.
European Convention
Asked if the Prime Minister agreed with the Treasury that the European Convention could have far-reaching consequences the PMOS reminded journalists that the Prime Minister had said that were it to be the case that the Convention and the IGC were to make sweeping changes in relation to defence and tax and so forth then that would be a wholly different issue. That was not what the Government expected to happen. Asked by the Mail if nonetheless it merited a referendum, the PMOS said he thought their referendum was a little bit pre-mature given that Inter-Governmental Conference to determine what would be decided by 25 countries and which would then have to be ratified by Parliaments had yet to even start. But that was for them.
David Beckham
Asked the how the PM viewed a Labour Peer’s treatment of the Captain of the national football team the PMOS said he felt he was being used as a pawn in a game where political correspondents were trying to get their bylines on what was obviously a sports story. Questioned further the PMOS said that reshuffle questions in relation to the Manchester United midfield were not a matter for the Prime Minister.
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