Press briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: John Prescott, Olympics and Blogs
John Prescott
Asked if the Deputy Prime Minister had attended Cabinet, the PMOS replied that he had.
Asked if there had been a spontaneous show of support for the Deputy Prime Minister, the PMOS said that routine business had been done. Asked if the Prime Minister and Mr. Prescott had had a bilateral meeting together before Cabinet, the PMOS said that he did not brief on the Prime Minister’s discussions with Cabinet colleagues.
Asked if the Prime Minister had listened to the Deputy Prime Minister’s interview today, and if so, did he think that Mr. Prescott had answered the issues concerned, the PMOS replied that the interview was quite long, and he was unsure about the Prime Minister’s time commitments at that point. However, Mr. Prescott had addressed the issues, and the Prime Minister believed that. As the PMOS had said yesterday, the Prime Minister believed that John Prescott had set out the reasons for the meeting, and that it was legitimate for him to meet investors who were investing in a project that would bring 10,000 new homes and 24,000 jobs to that part of London.
Asked if Mr. Prescott had chaired a Cabinet Committee before Cabinet today, the PMOS said that he did not get into discussing Cabinet Committees. Mr. Prescott continued with his work of chairing Cabinet Committees on a regular basis. As the PMOS said earlier, the Prime Minister continued to believe that given his years of experience in government, John Prescott did bring a unique role to chairing Cabinet Committees, especially across departmental issues.
Asked if the Prime Minister had felt a sense of frustration that this issue still seemed to be overshadowing other Government areas, and what was the Prime Minister’s mood about that fact that it was all over the front pages again, the PMOS replied that the Prime Minister had long gone past the idea that it was possible to control what the media reported. On the other hand, if people looked at what the Prime Minister had been talking about and what he and the Government had been putting forward, this week, we had had the Welfare Reform Bill published, and we were bringing forward the Energy Review. The PMOS said that we had brought forward the pension proposals, and there were major issues around Home Affairs, as the Prime Minister had said in his speech last week. The PMOS said that he did not recognise the journalist’s description; the Government agenda was firm, and people could see what that agenda was, and we would deal with these other matters as and when.
Asked what Mr. Prescott’s movements were today, the PMOS said that there was a commemoration of William Wilberforce in Hull.
Put that the Parliamentary Standards Committee would be holding a full inquiry into Mr. Prescott’s meeting about the casino, and did the Prime Minister have any thoughts about it, the PMOS said that it was entirely a matter for Sir Philip Mawer. We would not be saying anything about Sir Philip’s investigation until it was completed.
Asked if the Prime Minister had discussed the issue with Sir Gus O’Donnell or Sir John Bourne, the PMOS said his answer was the same as he gave yesterday; people should read the lobby note from then.
Asked about the Prime Minister’s view on Ministers’ private lives affecting their public duties, the PMOS replied that Mr. Prescott had dealt with that question this morning.
Asked whether there was a conflict between Ministers’ work with various projects, and work done by civil servants that were involved with that work, the PMOS said that what was being seen was a perfectly legitimate communication between a major investor and the Deputy Prime Minister. Mr. Prescott had set out the reasons for that communication, and the Prime Minister fully supported him.
Olympics
Asked if the Prime Minister was concerned that the cost of hosting the Olympics was escalating, the PMOS said that in terms of the costs, DCMS were the department that dealt with that, and we were not going to give a running commentary. However, the important thing was to recognise firstly, that we would of course robustly manage the costs of the Olympics, and we were working with KPMG to review our plans to keep costs down. Secondly, part of what actually won the Olympics was the legacy, in terms of athletics, and in terms of leaving behind not only sports facilities, but also housing etc, as it would be a significant part of London for decades to come. That was why this was not about putting portacabins up on a piece of ground for a few weeks, but rather, it was about leaving a real and very lasting legacy in a part of London which had become rundown.
Blogs
Asked if the Prime Minister or the Government thought that the content of blogs should be controlled, the PMOS replied that he was not aware of nay proposals for a change of policy regarding blogs.
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