Downing Street Says » Ruth Kelly

Asked if the Prime Minister would consider changing Ruth Kelly’s role in terms of being in charge of equality given her views on gay rights, the PMOS said that the short answer to that question was no. Ruth Kelly had said repeatedly yesterday that she was committed to the equality agenda and to fighting discrimination of any kind in the workplace. It was a matter that she led on when she was in the Cabinet Office and there was no question of her absolute commitment. She had also expressed a belief and support for the collective responsibility principle in Cabinet and she fully supported Government policy.

Asked to explore what was meant by the use of the term collective responsibility, given that she had voted against Government policy on adoption by same sex couples, the PMOS said that Ruth Kelly fully recognised that it was Government policy and therefore she supported it. Put to him that she had voted against it, the PMOS said that as Ruth Kelly had said yesterday it was a well accepted principle that on issues such as this people could express their views in the Commons, but once it became Government policy if you were a member of the Government then you fully supported it.

Asked if it was possible to be committed to equality if you thought that one section of society were sinners, the PMOS said that was getting into people’s individual beliefs and what was more important was whether Ruth Kelly supported Government policy which she did. Asked if her views had been overlooked during the reshuffle the PMOS said that her views had been well known when she had become Education Secretary, and thus it was hard to say that they could have been overlooked on this occasion. Asked if the Prime Minister had sympathy with the broad range of Ruth Kelly’s views, the PMOS said that it would be entirely wrong to set the Prime Minister up as a commentator on an individual’s personal views.

Asked if the Prime Minister believed with Ruth Kelly’s assertion that people who wanted to protect their own private space should be rooted out, the PMOS referred journalists to what he had said on this matter yesterday.

1 Comment »

Dear Ruth Kelly
Please have a look at my suggestions for VEHICLE TAX at http://suzie-jackson.blogspot.com/2007/07/chelsea-tractors-are-not-smart.html

I don’t sy I’m right but nearly…..

Susan
Comment by Suzie Jackson — 30 Jul 2007 on 2:56 pm | Link

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» Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Ruth Kelly

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