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» Tuesday, July 6, 2004

Anti-Social Behaviour

Questioned about the Prime Minister's suggestion to the Liaison Committee this morning that the Government might be willing to re-legislate on anti-social behaviour because the current measures were not working, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that he would disagree with the summary of the Prime Minister's position on this issue. He had not said that the current Anti-Social Behaviour Orders were not working. He had simply been making the point that it was important to keep the measures under review. Consequently, if certain issues were raised as a result of that process, they would obviously be addressed. That said, it was clear that Anti-Social Behaviour Orders were being used and were effective. They were being welcomed around the country by local communities and local police authorities.

Briefing took place at 15:45 | Read whole briefing | Comments (4)

Iraq

Asked if the Prime Minister's position on WMD had changed, the PMOS said that as the Prime Minister had told the Liaison Committee this morning, we knew two things: first, that Saddam Hussein had possessed WMD and secondly, that we hadn't found any stockpiles of weapons. The explanation for that gap would have to wait until the ISG presented its final report. Asked when that might be, the PMOS said he thought it would be published at some point during the summer. The precise timing was a matter for them.

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

Prime Minister

Asked by the Daily Express to state 'unequivocally' that the Prime Minister intended to lead the Government into the next General Election, despite media reports today suggesting that he had come close to announcing his resignation last Friday, the PMOS said that he didn't recognise the reports in question. He pointed out that the same journalist had asked him about the same issue at yesterday's briefing. He had nothing further to add to what he had said then.

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

Guantanamo Bay

Asked to explain the Prime Minister's point this morning that he wasn't ready to take back the four remaining British detainees at Guantanamo Bay because the 'mechanisms' to do so were not in place, the PMOS said that as the Prime Minister had told the Liaison Committee, it was important to strike the right balance between recognising people's rights on the one hand, and maintaining the security of this country on the other. He had also underlined that discussions were continuing with the US authorities and that we were currently considering the implications of the US Supreme Court ruling. Put to him that it appeared the Prime Minister himself was conceding that there were very big security implications for the UK and US were the detainees to be returned, the PMOS said we had recognised from the outset that the US authorities had legitimate security concerns, which was why we were determined not to comprise our security. That said, it was important to strike the right balance between that point and the rights of the individuals concerned. He was unable to provide additional detail about this issue because he did not want to prejudice their cases. Asked about the rights of the general public in the UK and the US, the PMOS said it was important for people to recognise that it was also necessary to uphold the law. That was a fundamental principle of the position we had adopted. Asked to explain why we were seeking the return of the British detainees when we didn't have the security to guard the rest of the population from them, the PMOS repeated that it was necessary to achieve the right balance between upholding the law of the country as well as its security. That was precisely what we were trying to do. Asked how the Government could reassure people that we were doing both, the PMOS said that as the Prime Minister had said this morning, we took the need to maintain security very seriously. We were working on the appropriate mechanisms to ensure that was the case.

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

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» Tuesday, July 6, 2004

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