Press briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Asia 2015 and Tessa Jowell
Asia 2015
Asked what the Asia 2015 Conference was about, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that it was about promoting growth and ending poverty. It was being co-hosted by the Department for International Development, the Asia Development Bank and the World Bank. The Foreign Secretary was also hosting a related dinner this evening and he would have talks with Prime Minister Aziz tomorrow.
Tessa Jowell
Asked why the Prime Minister was not at DCMS questions, the PMOS said, as we had already explained, the Prime Minister was holding a seminar on trust school sponsors. Asked if the Prime Minister had any reaction to Sir Philip Mawer’s comments that Tessa Jowell did not need to make any changes to her register of interests, the PMOS said, as he had last week, we believed that Tessa Jowell had been scrupulous in trying to ensure that she maintained the ministerial code and met the standards set by the standards commissioner. Therefore we were not surprised by Sir Philip Mawer’s comments as were reported.
Asked if any other ministers had come forward with any amendments to their register of interests, the PMOS answered that there were none that he was aware of. Asked if there was any reaction or comment on briefings that suggested Tessa Jowell had not read the mortgage document, the PMOS said he was not going to give a running commentary on allegations. The key question was had these matter been dealt with and the answer was yes.
Asked if anyone had got to the bottom of why the Home Office had sent the papers via the embassy and not to the prosecutors, the PMOS said that he was sorry to appear, in English - obtuse, or in Irish - thick about this but what evidence was there that this had been in some way wrong? The Home Office disagreed in a public statement last Tuesday with the suggestion that this was anything other than the normal diplomatic practice.
Asked whether the Prime Minister had anything to add to David Cameron’s comments that Prime Ministers should not be judge and jury in such matters, the PMOS said that he would not comment on the political aspect, but his reply was as before when this had been considered when Sir Alistair Graham had made the proposal in the first instance. The Prime Minister’s view had always been that given that both he and ministers were elected it was better that an elected representative made the final decision. It was worth noting that even when independent figures made such decisions, as they had done in regard to the Mayor of London, it was not without controversy.
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