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, June 28, 2011

Libya

Asked for the Government’s response to press reports that children were failing to receive chemotherapy and whether there was a possibility of the UK sending medical aid to help, the PMS said that we were working hard to ensure humanitarian aid got through and that had been a priority from the start. He added that […]

Higher Education White Paper

Asked for a response to opposition claims that our sole aim was to drive down costs as too many universities were charging now the full 9000 fees, the PMS said that we had always planned to publish further details in a White Paper. Asked for a response to accusations that Government was making policy up […]

» Monday, June 27, 2011

China

Asked if the PM had raised any specific human rights cases with Premier Wen, the PMS said we had set out areas of concern, but said that he wouldn’t be getting into the specifics. Asked the question again, the PMS confirmed that specific cases had been raised. Asked for further details of the discussions between […]

Union talks

Asked how the talks with union leaders were going, the PMS said he was unable to provide a readout as the meeting was ongoing. Asked whether the Government was coming to the table with any concessions, the PMS said these were talks about the issues. He added that at some point there would be detailed […]

Libya

Asked whether the PM would make an official statement in response to the news that the ICC had issued an arrest warrant for Gaddafi, the PMS said that we welcomed the announcement and the Foreign Secretary had made a statement. Asked who would carry out the arrest and whether the warrant showed a change in […]

MoD efficiency savings

Asked whether the PM was concerned about the budget cuts and management re-structuring having a detrimental impact on morale, the PMS said that we had been faced with a defence budget with a 38bn black hole and we were sorting that out. He added that Liam Fox would be in the House later that evening […]

China

Asked about details of the business deals being signed by the UK and China and would the Prime Minister be raising the issue of human rights with the Chinese, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman told the assembled press that we would update people on details of the bilateral talks later today. On the issue of human […]

Chris Shale

Asked if there had been any contact between Downing Street and Chris Shale before he died, the PMS said that it was true that there was a phone call to him on Saturday to make him aware of the fact that there would be a story running in the Sunday newspapers. original source.

Strikes

On whether there was any update on the Unison talks, the PMS replied that it had been widely reported that there would be the latest in a series of meetings this afternoon and no doubt there would be more to say after that. Asked if the Prime Minister was optimistic, the PMS replied that our […]

» Thursday, June 23, 2011

Bailout

Asked if the Prime Minister (PM) had any conversations with Chancellor Merkel regarding bailout mechanisms, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) said that there had not been any recent conversations but that the two of them had discussed the issue previously. original source.

Libya

Asked if the PM thought that the cost for the Libya Military Operation was value for money, the PMS responded that it was the right thing to do to take action in Libya, and that thousands of lives had been saved as a result. He pointed out that the figures announced today were an estimate […]

Burglary

Asked if the stabbing in Salford would affect the PM’s thinking on householders defending their property, the PMS said no it would not but that he was unable to comment on an individual case. original source.

Circus animals

Asked about Number Ten’s approach to defeating the motion, the PMS confirmed that there are significant impediments to banning the use of circus animals entirely. He said that the Government had received advice that there was a strong likelihood of legal challenge, which would lead to cost to the tax payers if successful. This was […]

Chris Huhne

Asked about the Energy and Climate Change Secretary’s media plans ahead of the publication of the National Policy Statements, the PMS said he was not in a position to expand on the Department’s precise media plans. original source.

Original PMOS briefings are © Crown Copyright. Crown Copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland. Click-use licence number C02W0004089. Material is reproduced from the original 10 Downing Street source, but may not be the most up-to-date version of the briefings, which might be revised at the original source. Users should check with the original source in case of revisions. Comments are © Copyright contributors. Everything else is © Copyright Downing Street Says.

» Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Libya

Higher Education White Paper

» Monday, June 27, 2011

China

Union talks

Libya

MoD efficiency savings

China

Chris Shale

Strikes

» Thursday, June 23, 2011

Bailout

Libya

Burglary

Circus animals

Chris Huhne

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