Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Cabinet, Troops, Abu Hamza, Prime Minister and Real IRA.
Troops
Asked if the Defence Secretary would be making a statement on troops the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said that it was likely to be at 12.30pm but he did not want to pre-empt that statement. For guidance purposes it would be an operational statement rather than the result of strategic discussions with our coalition partners, which were continuing.
In answer to further questions the PMOS said that any decision on strategic matters in regards to troop deployment should be left to happen in its own time and it was not right for him to be drawn on when an announcement might or might not be made. He did not want to pre-empt in any way any strategic decision and reiterated that today’s announcement was not a strategic level decision. Asked if a decision would be made during recess the PMOS said that as the Prime Minister himself had said at Prime Minister’s Question the House would be kept up to date in the normal way. The Government continued to discuss these strategic issues with its coalition partners. There was a political track and a security track running in Iraq, the two were obviously running in parallel and the one informed the other, but it would be wrong to tie any security announcement to any specific political event. Today’s announcement was purely an operational matter and a response to a specific need identified in theatre, but the Secretary of State for Defence would set out the details for it.
Abu Hamza Arrest
Asked if the Prime Minister had any reaction to the arrest of Abu Hamza the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman told journalists that it was entirely a matter for the legal authorities and therefore it would be totally wrong for him to make any comment.
Prime Minister
Asked if the Prime Minister was taking any time off next week the PMOS said no, the Prime Minister was in Manchester today, he would be out again tomorrow and that he would continue to work next week.
Real IRA
Asked if the Prime Minister was concerned about the RIRA judgement today the PMOS said that it was a matter for the Northern Ireland Office, but that it was the Government’s view that the law did meet this point. However, it was a matter for the relevant authorities to consider this judgement and what action to take as a result of it. It was only appropriate for those relevant authorities to make their decision before any announcement were made.
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