Downing Street Says » 2004 » April

» Wednesday, April 21, 2004

Euro

Asked if the Government remained committed to a referendum on the Euro, the PMOS said that Patricia Hewitt had dealt with this issue in her Today Programme interview this morning. As the Prime Minister had made clear repeatedly, it would depend on the economics being right. We had no intention of producing weekly scorecards with a rating of 1-10. There would be a proper assessment and a proper decision would be made.

Briefing took place at 15:45 | Read whole briefing | Comment (1)

Bob Woodward

Asked for a reaction to the claim in Bob Woodward's book that the US authorities had passed on to the British authorities the concerns of the CIA Director that the 45-minute claim in the dossier was 'rubbish', the PMOS said that we never commented on intelligence matters. We had also resisted the temptation to add to the publicity of other books in the past and would do so with Mr Woodward's book as well. Put to him that the 45-minute claim had been mentioned four times in a public dossier and had been mentioned twice by the Prime Minister and that it was therefore not an insignificant point, the PMOS said that he was being asked about conversations between intelligence agencies, as well as matters which were being considered by the Butler Inquiry. It would therefore be wrong on both points to comment.

Briefing took place at 15:45 | Read whole briefing | Comments (2)

Iraq

Asked if the Prime Minister was concerned about the impending and threatened withdrawal of Coalition troops from Iraq, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) pointed out that over thirty countries still had troops in Iraq. He also noted that, as serious as the violence was, particularly in the light of this morning's attacks, it was not universal in Iraq. The majority of the country remained calm and peaceful. On the whole, Iraqi political opinion supported the transition that was taking place. We had been warning for some time that there would be those who would step up their terrorist activities in the run-up to the 30 June deadline to try to prevent the transition. We would not allow them to succeed, as the Prime Minister had underlined to the House today.

Briefing took place at 15:45 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

European Constitution

Asked if the Prime Minister would follow the example of the Irish Government in its referendum on the Nice Treaty by holding a second referendum if the first one produced a negative result, the PMOS said it was important for people to understand that the Government would only sign up to the Constitution if it protected our red lines. Parliament would then have an opportunity to scrutinise the document in detail, after which the public would be able to make their own judgement in a referendum. Clearly, the signing of the Constitution in the first place would present a positive case for it in any referendum campaign. It would also make a positive case for engagement in Europe. That was why the Government was not focussing its attention on what might happen if it lost the vote. It was going into the referendum intending to win it. Put to him that people were entitled to know what the Prime Minister would do if there was a no vote in the light of the fact that the Prime Minister, himself, had asked the Opposition Leader this question in PMQs today, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister had not ducked the issue in PMQs. He had dealt with it and had made the analogy with Ireland, as was entirely appropriate: we would sit down and discuss the way forward with our European partners. The PMOS said that he hadn't ducked the issue either over the last couple of days, having told journalists repeatedly that a no vote would put the UK in a difficult situation because we would have to persuade the other twenty-four member states to agree to any amendments we might make. However, as he had underlined consistently, the Government's position was that we would not enter a referendum campaign with the intention of losing it. We would focus our attention on winning it, not on what happened afterwards.

Briefing took place at 15:45 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Archbishop of Canterbury

Asked for a reaction to the criticism of the Government expressed by the Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday, the PMOS said that he had nothing to add to what had already been said about this matter.

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Iraq

Asked if the Police Training Academy which had been bombed in Basra this morning was one which the Prime Minister had visited in January, the PMOS said confirmed that it was. He underlined that the attacks today illustrated the nature of the terrorism we were facing in Iraq. This was not terrorism which was aimed at one particular group or one particular part of the coalition. It was aimed at the process of democratisation and the introduction of civic society in Iraq.

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

European Constitution

Asked what action the Government would take were the result of the referendum to be a no, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that he had dealt with this matter at great length at yesterday afternoon's press briefing. As he had underlined, it was impossible to predict the circumstances in which such a vote would take place. It was important for people to recognise that the Government would only sign up to the Constitution if it met our red lines. Parliament would then scrutinise the document, after which it would go to a public vote, which the Government fully intended to win. Asked if any contingency plans had been put in place in the event of a no vote, the PMOS said that the Government was not going to go into the referendum with the intention of losing it. He pointed out that a no vote would also place this country in a difficult position because we would have to convince the other twenty-four European member states to agree to any changes.

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (3)

Abu Hamza/Legal Aid

Asked if the Government believed that Abu Hamza should receive legal aid, the PMOS said that since Abu Hamza was on the UN Security List as an Al Qaida associate, he needed to apply to the Treasury for a special licence to receive legal aid. We were unable to comment until that was done.

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (2)

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» Wednesday, April 21, 2004

Euro

Bob Woodward

Iraq

European Constitution

Archbishop of Canterbury

Iraq

European Constitution

Abu Hamza/Legal Aid

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