Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: PM CBI Speech, President Bush and Margaret Hodge.
PM CBI Speech
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) briefed journalists on the Prime Minister’s speech to the CBI Conference Birmingham today. He would say:
"Britain has huge strengths. Its economy has weathered the recent downturn best of any in the G8. It has record levels of employment. It has the fastest expanding healthcare and education systems in Europe. A recent poll in Germany rated Britain as the most influential nation in Europe above France. Whatever others may say, most people know that our alliance with America and our position in Europe give us unparalleled purchase on international affairs for a country our size. But there is still a vast amount to do to improve our country further." He would then talk about the need to embrace change and develop the skills agenda.
The Prime Minister would also talk about economic stability. He would say:
"Not so long ago Britain was racked by economic instability. Today inflation, interest rates and unemployment are down at levels not seen in a generation. Our national debt as a proportion of GDP is now the lowest in the developed world. Despite a significant downturn in the world economy, the UK has just recorded 44 quarters of uninterrupted growth - this is the longest expansion since the advent of quarterly records.
"I know that for businesses large and small, every other issue is secondary to the goal of stability. That stability is now real."
The Prime Minister would then talk about the extra investment in our public services was making a difference on health and education. Following that, he would speak about Europe and would say:
"British business has always given strong support to our membership of the EU, and for good reason. You understand that being in the EU brings us massive benefits in trade, jobs and prosperity. You know that the EU is the most effective way that Britain can make its voice heard on global issues alongside the US and the growing Asian economies. You know that to be anti-Europe is to be anti-business. But you also know - and so do I - that a reform agenda for Europe is also vital.
"Europe is changing rapidly. Ten new members join the EU a few months from now. Europe will then have over 400 million consumers, making it the world’s biggest market - one larger than that of the United States and Japan combined.
"This also means that we must update the way Europe’s institutions work. That is why I support a new European Constitution. We need to modernise the way we do business in Europe. Otherwise, far from speeding the pace of change, enlargement would make the system grind to a halt.
"This is why a stable President of the European Council is so important. But I want to be very clear. We will not yield up any of our crucial red lines in the forthcoming negotiation. Specifically, on the matters of Tax, Social Security and the EU budget, we oppose any move away from unanimity."
The Prime Minister would then talk about science and technology and issues relating to regulation. It was possible he might say something at the outset regarding President Bush’s visit or in answer to questions from the floor.
President Bush
The PMOS briefed journalists on President Bush’s forthcoming State Visit to the UK.
As the Prime Minister had said last Monday, this was absolutely the right time for President Bush to visit. The visit would demonstrate the depth and breadth of the relationship between our two countries. The history of that relationship was of a strong partnership tied by a shared culture, history and vision of the world. The evidence of that partnership was everywhere. For example, a million British people were employed by US companies. In 2001, we made a million more trips to the US than in 1997. 38,000 US students studied here each year. More Americans lived in the UK than in any other country outside the US.
Clearly there was a long history of shared achievements in the world. Of course, military and political co-operation was the cornerstone. For example, we and the US had worked together to make NATO and the UN strong and effective institutions. However, co-operation extended to other areas as well. For example, it was British and American scientists working together who had discovered DNA fifty years ago. Presently, British and American troops and officials were working together on the ground in Iraq.
Obviously, Iraq would be a topic which would be discussed when the Prime Minister and the President met on Thursday. It would be all the more significant in the light of events at the weekend regarding the Iraq Governing Council’s (IGC) timetable.
As we had underlined consistently, our aim from the outset had been to transfer power and sovereignty to the Iraqi people as soon as possible, in a way which ensured that the country was free, safe and prosperous. The process which had been set out by the IGC at the weekend put Iraq and the international community on the path to that longstanding goal. A transitional assembly would elect a provisional government by the end of June next year which would have full sovereignty. At that point, the occupation would end, and the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) would be dissolved. Following that, elections for a new government would be held by the end of 2005. This was very important given the fact that the goal and the prize upon which we had always remained focussed was an Iraq run by the Iraqi people for the Iraqi people
Of course, that was not to suggest that there weren’t difficulties for the Coalition forces, as the sad loss of life over the weekend showed. However, it was important not to lose sight of the positive things that had been happening in Iraq. For example, over 40,000 Iraqi police were on duty, and 25,000 more would trained by the end of the year. Moreover, almost all of the 240 hospitals and over 1,200 clinics were open. Not one penny of the proceeds from Iraqi oil had gone anywhere other than into an account run by the UN and the IMF for the benefit of the Iraqi people.
The PMOS briefed journalists of President Bush’s programme during his visit to the UK.
The President and the First Lady would arrive tomorrow evening and would have a private welcome by the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
On Wednesday, there would be a formal welcoming ceremony at the Palace. Following the ceremonial welcome, the President would meet Michael Howard, followed by Charles Kennedy. Later in the day, around lunchtime, the President would make a speech at the Banqueting House on the trans-Atlantic alliance and his forward strategy for democracy. After the speech, he would meet with British families who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001. On Wednesday evening, he would attend a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.
On Thursday, the President would visit the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, tour Westminster Abbey and meet with British soldiers who had fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, together with their families, as well as the bereaved families of those soldiers who had been killed in Iraq. He would also meet the families of British soldiers killed in Iraq. The President would then meet the Prime Minister at Number 10. This would be followed by a joint press conference in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office before lunch in Downing Street. The meal would be a menu designed by, and prepared under the supervision of, Nigella Lawson. Mrs Blair and the First Lady would have a separate lunch, having watched a children’s performance of extracts from Shakespeare.
After lunch, the Prime Minister and the President would have a roundtable discussion on HIV/AIDS with a group of representatives from African countries, charities and leading NGOs in the field. The meeting would be an opportunity to underline the importance of fighting HIV/Aids and to underline UK/US efforts in this area. On Thursday evening, the President and the First Lady would host a reciprocal dinner for the Queen.
On Friday, the President and the First Lady would attend the Queen’s official farewell and then depart London for Sedgefield. There, the President’s schedule would include lunch with the Prime Minister and a group of his constituents.
The President and the First Lady would return to Washington on Friday evening.
Asked about the Prime Minister’s view of NATO taking over the role of Coalition forces in Iraq in the light of talks in Brussels today about the issue, the PMOS said that although the occupation of Iraq would cease next Summer on the current timelines, coalition forces would remain in the country for a longer period, although obviously at the invitation of the new Administration. The precise composition of that force was something that would need to be discussed in the longer term. In answer to further questions, the PMOS pointed out that a number of other countries had already contributed troops to Iraq. As we had stated from the outset, we were keen for that pool to be expanded.
Asked if the Prime Minister welcomed Stephen Byers’ reported intervention in the EU-US steel dispute which, according to today’s Guardian, would help to de-stabilise President Bush’s election campaign, the PMOS said that Mr Byers was not a member of the Government. There was clearly an issue between the EU and the US regarding steel tariffs. As we had said last week, the ball was in the US’s court after the announcement from the WTO. It was now up to the US Administration to make a decision - which they would need to do by 6 December - otherwise, under the procedures which were in place, retaliatory tariffs could be imposed by the EU. Since this was a live issue, it was likely to be raised during the President’s visit to the UK. We would continue to keep up the pressure on what we regarded to be an important trade issue. He pointed out that the end point for a decision by the US was 6 December and not the end of this week. Asked if the Prime Minister would discuss with the President which parts of the US would be useful retaliatory targets for the EU, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister was keen for this to be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction. The WTO had issued a ruling on this matter. The ball was in the US’s court. In answer to further questions about Stephen Byers’ role in this issue, the PMOS repeated that Mr Byers was not a member of the Government. We were continuing to seek to resolve the trade dispute and put an end to something which had been a cause for concern to the UK steel industry. The President’s visit presented a good opportunity for the issue to be discussed further. Pressed as to whether the Prime Minister welcomed Mr Byers’ comments, the PMOS said that Mr Byers spoke for himself. Asked if the Prime Minister had been aware of Mr Byers’ ‘plan’, the PMOS said not as far as he was aware. He pointed out that there were procedures within the EU for deciding these matters.
Questioned as to whether the issue of the Guantanamo Bay detainees would be resolved during the President’s visit to the UK, the PMOS said that this was obviously an issue which we wanted to see resolved. However, we would have to wait and see how matters progressed during the course of this week. These were complex issues and work was continuing to try to find a way forward. There had been several meetings in recent months between the Attorney General and his US counterparts.
Asked to confirm reports that President Bush would not be addressing Parliament, the PMOS said that this ’story’ had been written several times in recent weeks, so today’s report had not come as any surprise to us - and nor, he thought, to the media. He pointed out that all sorts of ideas for the itinerary were considered when a visit of this sort was being planned. He suggested, however, that journalists might find it more useful to focus on what President Bush would actually be doing, rather than what he was not. Asked if President Bush would not be addressing Parliament because he had not been invited to do so or whether he had been invited to speak but he had declined the offer, the PMOS said that when the programme had been put together, it had been decided that the speech opportunity for the President would be the one at Banqueting House.
Asked if President Bush would be meeting the Archbishop of Canterbury at any stage during his visit given the President’s strong religious beliefs, the PMOS said that the Archbishop would be a guest at one of the State Banquets. He referred journalists to Buckingham Palace for further detail.
Asked to confirm when the State Visit had been arranged, the PMOS said that the invitation to President Bush had been issued formally in June 2002. He added that a Royal Visits Committee met twice a year to discuss recommendations for future State Visits.
Asked to explain why the Prime Minister was convinced that now was absolutely the right time for President Bush to visit the UK, the PMOS drew journalists’ attention to the Prime Minister’s Guildhall speech last week in which he had articulated what was at stake in Iraq. The prize was a democratic, prosperous and free country. If we were able to achieve such a thing, it would help to dispel what he had described as the ‘poisonous propaganda cloud’ which was so often used against the US and the West. The Prime Minister had said many times in the past that he regarded the war on terror and the linkage between terrorism and rogue states to be the security challenge of the twenty first century. Of course, it would be naive to pretend that there weren’t going to be demonstrations during the President’s visit. People had a right to protest in a democracy. The Prime Minister hoped that this would allow a vigorous debate about all the issues, which was why he was looking forward to the President’s visit. He recognised that people held different views on the war. He listened with respect to them, and he, in turn, hoped that they would listen to the counter-arguments that both he and the President would mount.
Questioned about the policing operation for the Sedgefield part of President Bush’s visit, the PMOS said that such issues were a matter for the police. As Sir John Stevens had said eight days ago, in a democracy there was a balance to be struck between people’s right to protest and other peoples’ right to go about their legitimate business.
In answer to questions about the cost of the policing operation and who would foot the bill, the PMOS said that the Deputy Chief Constable of the Met, Andy Trotter, had said last week that the visit, which was not unexpected, was part and parcel of the standard policing arrangements for London and so the costs would be paid by the Met. Obviously if any other issues had to be discussed, then of course they could be. Asked who would foot the bill in Sedgefield in the light of the fact that a Presidential visit was not a regular occurrence, the PMOS said that budgets were given to police authorities to cover their costs. As things stood, the policing operation for the President’s visit would be funded in the usual way.
Margaret Hodge
Asked if the Prime Minister believed that the public apology which Margaret Hodge had been asked to make meant that she should continue being a Minister, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister continued to have full confidence in the Minister. The position had not changed.
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