Downing Street Says » Libya MOU

Asked by the Herald if the Prime Minister would be writing to the Scottish Executive with regards to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and also, that the Government had tried to get through to the Scottish Executive, but couldn’t get through as it was a Bank Holiday according to some reports, the PMOS said that the whole premise to this story was a red herring. The MOU did not cover the al-Megrahi case. Secondly, we would say nothing and do nothing about that case whiles it was the subject of a legal review. Thirdly, in the MOU, it said in black and white that this was only at a draft stage and before further work was done, we would need to consult with the devolved administrations. At every stage of this so-called story it went into a blind alley.

Put that the FCO were saying that they had advised the Prime Minister to contact the Scottish Executive, the PMOS replied that that was not actually what the FCO had said. Equally, it said it in the MOU that we acknowledged that the devolved administrations would have to be consulted. The PMOS said that people could not base an entire story on the assertion that the MOU in some way covered a case when it did not. Equally, people could not base an entire story on the assertion that somehow we were going to ignore the devolved administration. People should get real.

Asked if we were saying that the FCO reports were not true, and that this Government had not tried to contact the Scottish Executive on the Bank Holiday Monday, the PMOS said that we were talking about the arrangements for an MOU in the UK as a whole, but we were only at its draft stage. Even at that draft stage, we said that we would need to consult the devolved administrations. In terms of the process, the PMOS said that he was not going to get into any details any more than he would about anything else. In terms of the premise of the story, it was completely wrong – how many times did we have to say it? The PMOS added that if he sounded exasperated, it was because he was.

Put that the PMOS was not answering the question, the PMOS replied that he was not treating Scotland any differently to anywhere else. He did not get into processology.

Asked again if the FCO had advised Downing Street on phoning the Scottish Executive, and did the Government try to get in contact with them on Bank Holiday Monday, the PMOS said that he was not aware of the FCO having said what the journalist had said, as we had told the Herald on the record. Secondly, the PMOS repeated that he did not get into the process of contacts between Government departments.

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» Monday, June 11, 2007

Libya MOU

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