Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Northern Ireland, Zimbabwe, ‘Big Conversation/Top-Up Fees, European Constitution and Denis MacShane.
Northern Ireland
Asked about the Good Friday Agreement, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said that the results of Wednesday’s Assembly elections were not all in yet, so it would be pointless to comment on them until they were.
Zimbabwe
Asked for a reaction to reports that Robert Mugabe had suggested that Zimbabwe might leave the Commonwealth, the PMOS said that the position, as far as the UK and the Commonwealth were concerned, remained unchanged. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was due to take place in Nigeria next week where the issue of Zimbabwe would no doubt be discussed. Asked if we would prefer to keep Zimbabwe in the Commonwealth and exert pressure on Mr Mugabe in that way, the PMOS said that it would not be helpful to pre-empt the discussion at CHOGM. He advised journalists that there would be a review, led by the Commonwealth Secretary General, Don McKinnon, of progress against the benchmarks which had been set out in the Harare Declaration.
‘Big Conversation/Top-Up Fees
Asked whether the Government would be prepared to change any of its policies, such as top-up fees, if a majority of people voiced their opposition to them a part of the ‘Big Conversation’, the PMOS said that the Government had set out its legislative programme for the forthcoming session of Parliament. In doing so, it had been sending a clear signal of its legislative priorities. Reform of student finance was one of them. As with every Bill that came before the House, there would be an opportunity for debate, discussion and the tabling of amendments. However, it was important for people to recognise that the policy which had been set out by the Government had come about as a result of detailed discussion. As he had said yesterday, there was no magic wand that was going to conjure up, without tough choices, extra funding for our universities and an increase in places for students so that we had the skills base that this country needed for this century and the necessary research bases. As we had set out many times in the past, a judgement had to be made as to what proportion should be funded from general taxation and what the individual should be expected to contribute. We believed that what was being proposed was fair. Up-front fees were being abolished. The variable fee repayment would only kick in when an individual was in a position to repay it. An ‘access regulator’ would also ensure that issues relating to university access would be addressed. There would also be bursaries. The fact that the Bill had been included in the Queen’s Speech was a clear signal of the Government’s desire to put it on to the statute book.
Questioned as to whether the Prime Minister would accede to the wishes of the majority of people if, for example, 80% of the country signalled a desire to have a referendum on the European Constitution, the PMOS said that our position on that issue had not changed.
European Constitution
Asked about the possibility that an agreement on the EU Constitution might not be reached under the current Italian Presidency, the PMOS said that discussions about the Constitution were ongoing. A draft text was circulating and EU Foreign Ministers were meeting today and tomorrow in Naples. As the Foreign Secretary had said today, we were approaching them from the perspective that a deal could be done in the coming weeks. Whether that would prove to be possible remained to be seen. We were just one country amongst many who were negotiating the draft text. We would have to wait and see how things panned out. No one had said definitively that this issue would be concluded by a specific date. Put to him that Mr Straw appeared to be hinting quite heavily that it was possible a deal might not be reached, the PMOS said that Mr Straw had been making the perfectly reasonable point that no one was approaching this negotiation from the perspective that a deal would be done at any cost. On the contrary. That applied to all twenty five members. The Government’s negotiating position, which had been published in a White Paper, was well known to our European partners. The Italian Presidency was approaching this from a positive perspective. They were doing good work. People should exercise a little patience. He didn’t have a crystal ball that could predict where we might be in, say, ten days’ time.
Denis MacShane
Asked if the Government supported Denis MacShane’s view that Britain’s Muslim communities needed to speak up more strongly against terrorism, the PMOS said that Muslim leaders in the UK had articulated on many occasions their concerns about terrorism. Indeed, the Prime Minister himself had stood next to Muslim leaders in Downing Street after the September 11 attacks and they could not have been more vocal in their condemnation of these appalling acts. Dr MacShane had been underlining that it was important for that condemnation to continue and had explained the context of his remarks last Friday.
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