Downing Street press briefings
The briefings are given each day that Parliament is sitting, at 1100 GMT/ BST and 1545 GMT/BST.
At other times - for example, during Parliamentary recess - there is one briefing a week, usually on a Monday morning.
The Prime Minister's Spokesman (PMS) answers questions from journalists on current news topics that are of interest to them. The PMS may also use the opportunity to give out information he believes the media need to know. The gatherings are often referred to as lobby briefings.
For reasons of time and cost, these briefings are not normally transcribed word for word.
Instead, a record of the main points made in the briefing is circulated within Whitehall. The extracts in this section are taken from that record.
You can read summaries from the most recent briefings below, or visit our archive section, or use our search facility to find a briefing by keyword.
The briefings below were given by Gordon Brown's spokesman after 27 June 2007. For briefings given during Tony Blair's time in office, see our Blair archive.
August 2008
Morning press briefing from 11 August 2008
Briefing on: Georgia, olympics, stamp duty, fuel bills and misc
Morning press briefing from 4 August 2008
Briefing on: Free passports, National Risk Register, SATs, economy, Cabinet and miscellaneous
July 2008
Morning press briefing from 28 July 2008
Briefing on: Recess arrangements, Crosby Review, Alcohol and Unions
Afternoon press briefing from 22 July 2008
Briefing on: Karadzic Arrest, Iraq and Misc
Morning press briefing from 22 July 2008
Briefing on: Cabinet, Radovan Karadzic, Iraq, Consultation on Alcohol Responsibility, Recess Arrangements, Written Statements, Nuclear Sites and Irish Referendum
Morning press briefing from 21 July 2008
Briefing on: miscellaneous
Morning press briefing from 18 July 2008
Briefing on: Fiscal rules and miscellaneous
Afternoon press briefing from 17 July 2008
Briefing on: Libson Treaty, Information Commissioner and miscellaneous
Morning press briefing from 17 July 2008
Briefing on: Crime and Information Commissioner
Afternoon press briefing from 16 July 2008
Briefing on: MP's pay and misc
Morning press briefing from 16 July 2008
Briefing on: MP's expenses and fuel duty
Afternoon press briefing from 15 July 2008
Briefing on: Food Inflation, Inflation/Public and Private Sector pay, Insolvency Arrangements and misc
Morning press briefing from 15 July 2008
Briefing on: Cabinet, economy, Youth Crime Action Plan, Nigeria, unions and misc
Afternoon press briefing from 14 July 2008
Briefing on: Knife crime
Morning press briefing from 11 July 2008
Briefing on: European Council Summit, David Davis, embryology, Nigeria, Russia, Draft Legislative Programme and data review
Afternoon press briefing from 10 July 2008
Briefing on: Zimbabwe, Russia, vehicle excise duty, Embryology Bill and miscellaneous
Morning press briefing from 10 July 2008
Briefing on: Cabinet, vehicle excise duty, House of Lords Reform, Zimbabwe sanctions, Embryology Bill and misc
Morning press briefing from 8 July 2008
Briefing on: Troops in Afghanistan, Russia, economy, Embryology Bill, G8 Summit/Japan and miscellaneous
Morning press briefing from 7 July 2008
Briefing on: G8, Zimbabwe, Russia, food prices, oil price and Africa
Morning press briefing from 4 July 2008
Briefing from the Prime Minister's Spokesman on: MPs' expenses vote, Lord Chief Justice on Sharia Law and miscellaneous
Afternoon press briefing from 3 July 2008
Briefing on: MPs' pay, fuel/oil and miscellaneous
Afternoon press briefing from 2 July 2008
Briefing on: Business Council, retirement age, letter from the Chief Whip and Hauliers strike
Morning press briefing from 2 July 2008
Briefing on: Vehicle excise duty, Europe, BP and knife crime
Afternoon press briefing from 1 July 2008
Briefing on: 10p tax rate, fuel and food prices and miscellaneous
Morning press briefing from 1 July 2008
Briefing on: Thomas Tallis visit, Cabinet, food prices, Embryology Bill, Zimbabwe, Kosovo, West Lothian question and misc
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