Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Tuition Fees, Cannabis Reclassification, Crime and President Obasanjo.
Tuition Fees
Asked the current position in the run-up to the vote next week, the PMOS said we did not brief on what the Chief Whip said on voting. There had not been a flicker of complacency around the Cabinet table this morning. Everyone recognised that there was a lot more dialogue, discussion and debate to be had with parliamentary colleagues between now and next Tuesday. Asked if the Chancellor had said anything in Cabinet about tuition fees, the PMOS said that it wasn’t our policy to brief on which Minister spoke at what point during Cabinet. That said, as we had underlined many many times, Cabinet was united around the policy. The Chancellor, himself, had articulated his support for it in public on many occasions, as journalists were well aware. He drew their attention again to the fact that he had been heavily involved in all the discussions leading up to the publication of the Bill earlier this month. There were obviously a large number of issues relating to expenditure. The PMOS said that he would encourage them to discount some of the things that had been written about the Chancellor and tuition fees in recent days.
Asked if the Prime Minister had made any comment about the forthcoming vote during Cabinet, the PMOS said everyone obviously recognised that next week was an important week for the Government. He repeated that there was still a lot of discussion and debate to be had between now and Tuesday. Asked what arrangements were being made in the event that the Government lost the vote, PMOS said that the Government was not contemplating failure. We were working hard to get the legislation through Parliament. Asked if he was indicating that the rebellion was under control, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister and his colleagues were continuing to work hard to get the Bill on the statute books. As we had underlined many times, we believed that once people looked at the arguments and any alternatives that might have been put forward, they would recognise that what was being proposed was a fair and balanced package that would not only give more much needed funding to universities but would also abolish upfront fees, thereby ensuring that students would not pay as they learned but as they earned. Moreover, a very generous package was being offered to make sure that access to higher education was protected. The Government remained determined to get the Bill through Parliament and would continue to state the arguments between now and next Tuesday. Indeed, as had been made clear in Cabinet, Ministers had thought that way the Education Secretary had engaged with parliamentary colleagues had been very positive, but, he repeated, there was no complacency.
Cannabis Reclassification
Asked if the Prime Minister expected people who were found in possession of cannabis to be arrested and charged, the PMOS said that it was important to be clear what this was all about. The Government’s decision was the result of advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, a group of scientific and medical experts. They acknowledged that cannabis was harmful - but less so than other Class B drugs such as amphetamines. Equally, it was important for people to recognise that we were not saying that the reclassification of cannabis to Class C meant that it was safe. It was not and it would remain an illegal drug. The police would ensure that those who repeatedly flouted the law would be arrested. The point of the reclassification was to enable the police to target their efforts on the drugs that did the most harm, i.e. Class A drugs, and to make sure the policy was consistent across the country as a whole rather than in patchwork, as had been the case.
Asked if the Prime Minister would accept that there had been some confusion over the reclassification announcement, the PMOS said that whenever there was a change in policy there was always an adjustment that had to be made. We believed that people understood that there were different classes of drugs. No one was saying that cannabis was safe or legal. Equally, no one was saying that it was the same as heroin. It wasn’t. There were clearly finite resources that the police had at their disposal to use in their fight against drugs and we believed it was sensible and right to target them at the drugs that did the most harm.
Asked if the Prime Minister had ever smoked cannabis in the light of David Blunkett’s comments on the Today Programme this morning, the PMOS said that he hadn’t asked him - and anyway, it wasn’t our policy to take part in surveys.
Crime
Asked if the Prime Minister was concerned about the rise in crime following the publication of the latest crime statistics today, the PMOS pointed out that, according to the figures today, overall crime had remained stable and the risk of becoming a victim of crime was still at historically low levels. We acknowledged there was an issue in respect of violent crime. However, as the Home office had indicated today, part of the recorded rise was due to the continuing effect of the changes to police recording practices.
President Obasanjo
The PMOS advised journalists that the Prime Minister would be meeting President Obasanjo of Nigeria in his constituency this evening. The President was passing through the UK on his way back from the World Economic Forum in Davos. It was an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss the latest situation in Nigeria and NEPAD and also take stock following the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Abuja last month.
delicious
digg
facebook
