Downing Street Says ... Every day the Prime Minister’s Spokesman meets a small coterie of political journalists known as ‘the lobby’ for a topical chat, or ‘briefing’.

Every day the Prime Minister's Spokesman meets a small coterie of political journalists known as 'the lobby' for a topical chat, or 'briefing'.

Downing Street Says... is an unofficial site that lets you read summaries of these briefings and add your own comments. Want to know more?

» Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Morning press briefing for 30 August 2011

Tuesday 30 August 2011 Press briefing from the Prime Minister’s spokesperson on: Social Policy Review, Crossrail, Libya, Scotland and housing. original source.

Social Policy Review

Asked for details on the social policy review meeting, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) said that that in the wake of the riots the Prime Minister (PM) announced his intention to review the Government’s work and consider whether plans and programmes were big and bold enough to deliver the change that the country wanted to […]

CrossRail

Asked if the Government should look again at the Thameslink contract, the PMS said that the Government was legally bound by the decision made on Thameslink. The PMS also pointed out that there was an ongoing review of procurement rules as part of the growth review. Asked if the Crossrail review meant it was more […]

Libya

Asked for the PM’s expectations for Thursday, the PMS said that this was being co-organised with the French, that there were due to be a large number of delegations there and that the agenda and logistics were still being worked through. Asked if there were any specific aspirations for the meeting, the PMS said that […]

Scotland

Asked if the PM accepted the spending imbalance in Scotland, the PMS said that that the Government’s priority was to deal with the deficit, but that there was a commitment in the coalition agreement to look at the Barnett Formula once public finances were stabilised. The PMS gave some data examples of regional figures for […]

Housing

Asked if the PM was worried that we weren’t building enough houses, the PMS said that this was a legacy issue and that the Government was addressing the shortfall in affordable housing. She said that there were fewer houses built by the last administration in recent years, but that the current Government has set an […]

» Monday, August 22, 2011

Afternoon press briefing for 22 August 2011

Monday 22 August 2011 Press briefing from the Prime Minister’s spokesperson on: Libya, Syria and Hillsborough. original source.

Libya

Asked if the Prime Minister (PM) had ruled out the possibility of British soldiers having a role on the ground in Libya, the Prime Minister’s spokesman (PMS) said that the Government did not know what extra support the National Transitional Council (NTC) might need in terms of stabilisation, but it was not expected that British […]

Syria

Asked if the PM discussed Syria with Ban Ki-moon, the PMS said that they focussed on Libya in their conversation. original source.

Hillsborough

Asked if PM had met with the Labour MPs asking for a review of the decision on the Hillsborough papers, the PMS said that the Government had every sympathy for the families, and respected their right to see the documents first. The PMS said that the Hillsborough Panel had all the documents, and they are […]

» Monday, August 15, 2011

Morning press briefing for 15 August 2011

Monday 15 August 2011 Press briefing from the Prime Minister’s spokesperson on: riots, Bill Bratton, credit rating agencies, 50p tax rate and Libya. original source.

Riots

Asked whether the Government was planning to cut the benefits of people who have been accused of rioting, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman, (PMS), said that the Government was looking at a range of things that it might do, as the Prime Minister had set out earlier in the morning. The PMS said that the Home […]

Bill Bratton

Asked whether the Prime Minister was satisfied that the Bill Bratton issue was now settled, the PMS said that the criteria for the post of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner stated that applicants needed to be British citizens, which Bill Bratton was not. original source.

Credit ratings agencies

Asked how much credence the Prime Minister and Chancellor give to credit ratings agencies, the PMS replied that credit ratings agencies provide analysis and information to markets. Put that the policies of various governments were predicated on making sure that their credit rating was not downgraded, the PMS responded that ultimately the issue was whether […]

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» Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Morning press briefing for 30 August 2011

Social Policy Review

CrossRail

Libya

Scotland

Housing

» Monday, August 22, 2011

Afternoon press briefing for 22 August 2011

Libya

Syria

Hillsborough

» Monday, August 15, 2011

Morning press briefing for 15 August 2011

Riots

Bill Bratton

Credit ratings agencies

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