Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Strategy Unit Fisheries Project Report, Sutton Report/Beverley Hughes and Government Communications/Phillis Review.
SU Fisheries Project Report
In answer to questions about the Strategy Unit Fisheries Project Report, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that as he understood it, it set out a possible long term strategy for improving the fortunes of the fishing industry, recognising the need to manage what were finite marine resources as well as the economic development of the communities which relied on them. He encouraged journalists to speak to DEFRA for more details.
Sutton Report/Beverley Hughes
Asked if the Prime Minister retained full confidence in Beverley Hughes following the publication of the Sutton Report today, the PMOS said yes, absolutely. He believed that Ms Hughes was a first-class Minister who had one of the hardest briefs in Government. She had made a significant difference, for example by halving the number of asylum applications. Of course, no one was pretending that there weren’t difficult, complex issues facing the Government. We acknowledged that there were real challenges ahead. However, the Prime Minister continued to believe that she was an excellent Minister. In answer to further questions, the PMOS said that Ms Hughes had given a response to critics of the Sutton Report on Radio 4’s The World At One today. The Report had been carried out by a senior IND official who was a well respected individual in his particular field. The conclusions of the Report were based on his considered judgements after taking all the evidence into account. Put to him that the Report’s suggestion that Ministers had not known what was going on in their own Department would, in itself, suggest a high level of incompetence, the PMOS said that Ms Hughes had been absolutely upfront about what had happened. Everyone acknowledged that mistakes had been made both in terms of issuing the guidance and the oversight. As Ms Hughes had stated when the issue had first come to light, since she was the Minister with responsibility for this area, it was her job to put things right and make sure they didn’t happen again. No one was claiming that what had transpired had been the best chapter in the IND’s work. However, the considered findings of the Sutton Report showed that these decisions had been taken, wrongly, without reference to more senior officials. It was important to make sure that did not happen again.
Asked about the Report’s recommendation that Civil Servants should be trained to deal with Ministers, the PMOS said that Civil Servants had a long history of working and dealing with Ministers. The only reason why this incident was news was because it was an extremely rare event. That said, if particular training needs had been identified, then obviously they would be addressed. However, the recommendation should not be seen as generic to the whole of the Civil Service.
Government Communications/Phillis Review
Asked if Downing Street would agree with the description of the new Permanent Secretary for Government Communications, Howell James, as a ‘professional spin doctor’, the PMOS said no. Mr James was a very talented communications professional. He was joining Government in a senior capacity with a breadth of experience in communications, both in a FTSE 100 company, in an important public service organisation - the BBC, in Government itself and as a partner in a private sector PR agency. The appointment had been made through open competition and by a selection panel which had included the Independent Civil Service Commissioner and the Cabinet Secretary. The universal view of the panel was that Mr James was the best candidate to do the job, and their recommendation had been accepted by the Prime Minister.
Questioned about his own new job, the PMOS said that he was moving posts to become the new Head of Strategic Communications in Downing Street. His colleague (Tom Kelly) would continue to be PMOS and would do the press briefings Monday to Thursday. The Chief Press Officer would do them on Fridays. Both he (Godric Smith) and his colleague (Tom Kelly) would continue to be of equal status, but would do different jobs. Asked if that meant he would no longer be briefing the press, the PMOS said yes. After six long years, he would be hanging up his briefing boots. He joked that when you got to the point of telling your kids that no bedtime was not an option, it was time to do something a bit different. Asked if Head of Strategic Communications was simply Alastair Campbell’s old job with a new title, the PMOS said no. There were two elements to the Communications Directorate: the day-to-day media handling and longer term planning. His focus would be on the latter. Asked where David Hill fitted into the new set up, the PMOS said that Mr Hill would continue to be Director of Communications.
Questioned about the possibility of televised press briefings in the light of such a recommendation from Bob Phillis, the PMOS said everyone had recognised that the Phillis recommendations were sensible which was why we had accepted them. However, it should also be pointed out that the recommendations had also called for more ministerial involvement in briefings - something which we had no doubt all political correspondents would value enormously. We would be taking forward the proposals in due course, and consulting with the Lobby’s representatives.
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