Downing Street Says » John Bercow and Patrick Mercer

» Monday, September 3, 2007

John Bercow and Patrick Mercer

Asked about John Bercow and Patrick Mercer, the PMS replied that obviously it was not for him to get into the business of talking about party political matters. In terms of the relationships between these individuals and their respective parties, clearly that was something for them.

Asked what contact the Prime Minister has had with John Bercow and Patrick Mercer, the PMS replied that he would not get into the specifics of who had spoken to whom. But clearly there had been discussions with Mr Mercer and Mr Bercow involving people in the Government in advance of this announcement.

Asked why the Prime Minister would consider someone with allegedly racist views suitable for this role, the PMS replied that Mr Mercer had a lot of expertise in the area of security, and could make a contribution to the Government and to the country.

Asked if the Prime Minister was ashamed by the comments, the PMS replied that the Prime Minister thought that Patrick Mercer was a recognised expert in security issues.

Asked if the Prime Minister had a view on Patrick Mercer’s comments that David Cameron called "totally unacceptable", the PMS replied that it was not appropriate for him to get into a discussion of what Patrick Mercer may have said in the past. The Prime Minister believed that Patrick Mercer was a recognised expert in security issues, and it was on that basis that he had been appointed.

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