Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: PM LBC Interview, Iraq/WMD, GM Crops, Harold Shipman, Mariano Rajoy, Hutton Report and Tuition Fees.
PM LBC Interview
Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: PM LBC Interview, Iraq/WMD, GM Crops, Harold Shipman, Mariano Rajoy, Hutton Report and Tuition Fees.
Asked to explain why the Prime Minister ‘deemed it appropriate behaviour’ for a British Prime Minister to go on radio and act as a DJ, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that the Prime Minister clearly deemed it appropriate to answer questions from the public. Asked by the Sun why he had also done the links to the weather and travel news, the PMOS said he recognised that, as a highly respected paper of record, the Sun was scrupulous in doing things the proper way. However, it was important for them to give some understanding to new audio and visual technology called ‘radio’ and ‘television’. That said, however, he didn’t think the paper had too much to worry about as he didn’t think such new-fangled methods of communication would catch on. Asked if the Prime Minister was also available for weddings and bar-mitzvahs, the PMOS said that if anyone had any specific proposals to put to him, he was sure the Prime Minister would consider them in due course.
Iraq/WMD
Asked by the Daily Mail if the Prime Minister had seen different evidence suggesting that Saddam Hussein had had WMD in the light of the former US Treasury Secretary’s comment that the White House had never had any such proof, the PMOS said that the White House had given its own response to Paul O’Neill. His colleague had also answered questions about the issue at yesterday’s briefings. He had nothing further to add. Pressed for a reply to the question, the PMOS said that the evidence had been seen not only by the US Administration and the British Government, but it had also been brought before the UN as well. Part of that evidence was the twelve years of Saddam ignoring countless UN Resolutions on Iraq’s WMD. In addition, the ISG’s interim report showed that there had been many breaches of Resolution 1441 which would have provided grounds for going back to the UN had we known about it at the time. Questioned repeatedly and acerbically by the Mail as to whether the Prime Minister had seen different evidence to that seen by the White House, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister had relied on the evidence which had been shown to him. That was the evidence on which he had based his decisions. He had nothing further to add.
GM Crops
Asked when the Government would respond to the ACRE report on the GM crop trials, the PMOS said that contrary to some reports this morning, we would not be responding to the ACRE report today. It went without saying that we would consider it carefully and would respond in due course.
Harold Shipman
Asked the Prime Minister’s view of the security regime at Wakefield Prison where Harold Shipman had committed suicide today, the PMOS said that as the Home Office Minister, Paul Goggins, had announced this morning, it should be left to the Prison and Probation Ombudsman to investigate Harold Shipman’s death.
Mariano Rajoy
Asked for a readout from the Prime Minister’s breakfast meeting with Mariano Rajoy, Prime Minister Aznar’s successor as leader of the Popular Party, the PMOS said that they had discussed three areas of shared interest - bilateral relations, Europe and international issues covering economic reform, immigration, EU, terrorism, Iraq and Latin America. Asked why the Prime Minister wasn’t meeting the leader of the Spanish Socialist Party, the PMOS pointed out that the Prime Minister had, in fact, met with the leader of the Socialist Party on a variety of occasions. Asked for further detail about the discussion on economic reform, the PMOS said that it wasn’t our practice to brief in detail on such conversations. That said, it should come as no surprise to anyone that the Prime Minister was an advocate of economic reform in Europe, which was why the issue had been raised this morning.
Hutton Report
Asked if a date had been set for the publication of the Hutton Report, the PMOS said no. Questioned as to whether the vote on tuition fees would be delayed if the Hutton Report was delayed, the PMOS said that two hypotheticals contained in one question was not a good sign. It was important to deal with reality. We were awaiting the Hutton Report, just like everyone else.
Tuition Fees
Asked if the Prime Minister thought that Ministers who voted against the Government’s proposals on tuition fees were in danger of betraying the interests of the country, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister had expressed his view on the issue on Sunday. His opinion had not changed since then.
delicious
digg
facebook
