Downing Street Says » Prime Minister and the Chancellor

Put to the PMOS that the Chancellor was de facto Prime Minister in waiting why did he have to wait until the end of the period of 27th June, why not handover now, the PMOS said in terms of the leadership it was not a matter for him to speak about but the Party would confirm that there is a process that had been set out and they are both following that process. In terms of the Prime Minister’s intentions he clearly set out his intentions, both before he made the announcement and after. The Prime Minister has a busy domestic and international agenda. At a domestic level, including pushing forward on education, health and other matters, taking the Prime Minister to the stage he wants to leave them at and secondly internationally, there is a very important G8 Summit coming up with very important issues of climate change and Africa. These are issues the Prime Minister took to the international agenda and which he wishes to get to a better stage before he departs. On the EU Summit, again the Prime Minister has been heavily involved in the preparations. There are major issues still to be finalised within the coming period.

Asked in terms of the EU Summit could the PMOS offer any indication as to discussions between the Prime Minister and the "Prime Minister in-waiting" would the Chancellor be attending the Summit, the PMOS said the normal discussions would continue in Government and that included with the Chancellor. In terms of the EU Summit the Prime Minister will represent the country and the Government. The Government’s position will be the result of the normal discussions that take place before such a summit in London.
Asked about the transition, the PMOS said the whole process was different and was being done for the first time, that was a fact of life. Equally it was a fact of life that the Prime Minister had set out the agenda that he wants to follow before he leaves office some time ago. The Prime Minister is following that agenda and completing that agenda.

Put to the PMOS that this suggested that the Prime Minister did not trust the Chancellor to do the work instead, the PMOS said that it suggested that the Prime Minister would complete the agenda that he had himself to complete that he was elected to complete, and he will finish those tasks in the way in which he said he would do it.

Asked to talk through the preparations for civil servants for the transition period from one Prime Minister to the new one, the PMOS said this was a matter for the Cabinet Office, also there was no doubt that at some stage there would be sensible discussions but again that was a matter for the Cabinet Office.

Asked as it was now clear that the Chancellor would be the next Prime Minister had the Prime Minister contacted the Chancellor with a message of congratulations for the Chancellor, the PMOS said again the reporter was asking about processology. The focus in Washington was on issues such as climate change, Africa, Iraq, Middle East, Iran, that is what the Prime Minister was getting on with. The Prime Minister was trying to build on the concrete effort made on Africa, to push forward the Middle East Peace Process, trying to move forward on Iraq and deal with issues such as Iran.

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» Thursday, May 17, 2007

Prime Minister and the Chancellor

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