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» Thursday, November 18, 2004

President Chirac’s Visit

The Prime Minister's spokesman (PMS) told journalists that President Chirac was in the UK today and tomorrow at the invitation of The Queen for what had been designated a Special Visit to mark the end of the Entente Cordiale Centenary celebrations.

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

Charles Clarke/Prince of Wales

Asked if the Prime Minister agreed with Charles Clarke's view that the Prince of Wales was out of touch, the PMS relied that the Prime Minister had great respect for the Prince of Wales. He also believed that Charles Clarke is a first class Secretary of State, and he thought the most important thing today was the announcement he was making on helping head teachers deal with disruptive pupils in the classroom by introducing new powers such as that allowing teachers to search pupils for knives. The focus was on that.

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (6)

Football racism

Asked if the Prime Minister thought Spain should have apologised for the racist chants that occurred during a football match last night, the PMS said the Prime Minister, like everyone, was very disappointed with what had happened last night. He believed that racism had no part to play in sport or anywhere else, and he also believed that we had made real progress in kicking racism out of British football. The PMS said Richard Caborn had indicated that he would be writing to his Spanish counterpart, as well as to the football authorities.

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (12)

Northern Ireland talks

Asked if the Prime Minister had made any progress with the DUP last night, the PMS replied that it had been dealt with in yesterday's lobby. We were at a very important stage of the process, and would not, therefore, discuss individual meetings. It would be better for people to be patient for a while longer.

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comment (1)

Attorney General

Asked if the Prime Minister and some senior ministers had any further comments to make on the legal advice received during the Iraq War, following claims in a weekly magazine, the PMS said there had already been 4 inquiries on the subject, and the Attorney General had made his position clear.

Briefing took place at 11:00 | Read whole briefing | Comment (1)

Hunting

Asked if there was going to be a last minute deal with the Hunting Bill, the PMS said there were still discussions going on regarding the next step, and that she could not rule anything in or out. The House of Lords had ruled out any compromise last night, which had been disappointing, as they had been given an opportunity to phase in a ban. She added that she thought people would not have long to wait for the next step

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

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» Thursday, November 18, 2004

President Chirac’s Visit

Charles Clarke/Prince of Wales

Football racism

Northern Ireland talks

Attorney General

Hunting

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