Downing Street Says

» Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Zimbabwe

Asked for the Prime Minister’s position regarding the Zimbabwean cricket team and other Zimbabwean sporting teams, the PMS replied that, in regards to cricket, we continued to discuss the matter of Zimbabwe with the English Cricket Board (ECB) as it was a matter for the English cricketing authorities; they ultimately decided whether England would play Zimbabwe or not, but they knew our views on the matter. In regards to the broader issue, it was not the case that the Prime Minister was considering a blanket ban on all Zimbabwe sportspeople and we were slightly surprised at the suggestion of that this morning.

Asked to elaborate on the Prime Minister’s views regarding the Zimbabwean cricket team, the PMS replied that our position was that if the ECB decided that they wanted to ban Zimbabwe, then that would be a decision which we would support.

Put that we had been in this position before and that the ECB needed backing from the Government, the PMS replied that it was ultimately a decision for them; it was for them to decide whether England should play Zimbabwe or not. However, they were aware of our position concerning this.

Asked repeatedly if the Prime Minister would consider any measures less than a blanket ban, the PMS said that all sorts of hypotheticals could be put to him but that the story this morning was ahead of itself; we had not recognised the depiction of the position as set out in the reports this morning. The most pressing issue coming up was the issue relating to the cricket tour.

Asked if there could be a one-off ban for cricket, the PMS replied that all of these issues would be addressed at the appropriate time. These were decisions that ultimately had to be made by the ECB; it was not helpful to get into all sorts of hypothetical scenarios which were still some way down the line.

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Zimbabwe

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