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» Thursday, May 25, 2006

Freedom of Information Disclosure Statement

The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) set out that the disclosure statement on the Iraq legal advice was a response to the Information Commissioner's notice. Essentially there was nothing very new here, but it was decided that because Channel 4 had published a leaked copy of the Attorney General's advice of 7 March during the General Election last year that we would make this response. The Commissioner himself had accepted that this did not in any way set a precedent. It was largely academic. As a reminder the 7 March advice was the Attorney General weighing up the pros and cons, by the 17 March, when he gave his final advice, the situation had changed. It had become clear that we were not going to get a second UN resolution and it in turn became clear that the Attorney General had to give a decision, yes or no. As the Attorney General had stressed himself, he had come to that view independently and that the answer was yes it was legal.

Briefing took place at 17:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Pensions White Paper

The PMOS explained that the Prime Minister had, in Cabinet and in his remarks to the press in the street, described the Pensions White Paper published today as a landmark process. It was about reaching a consensus that would last not just one generation but several generations. It was the result of an independent report that the government had commissioned. What it tried to do was address the very real challenges which the changes in the demographics of this country and every country had to face up to. The Prime Minister had also pointed out in Downing Street that we now had a real chance to reach a genuine consensus as a nation about how we met those challenges and he believed that was a very important moment.

Briefing took place at 17:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

President Bush talks

The PMOS explained that the Prime Minister and the President would discuss the full range of issues that you would expect: trade, the DOHA round was at an important stage; Iran, which was also at an important stage, MEPP following Prime Minister Olmert's visit to Washington; but the Prime Minister's main message would be the impressions he had taken away from his visit to Iraq. To get a feel for that journalists could read the transcript of the Prime Minister's interview, last night, with Al Jazeera as the Prime Minister's main message was summed up in that interview. It was that, we, looking in on Iraq should not disenfranchise the people of Iraq by refusing to recognise the wishes of the Iraqi people as represented by their democratically elected government. That meant in terms of our presence there recognising that no member of the government that the Prime Minister had met there had asked for us to withdraw immediately. They certainly did not want us to stay forever, but we did not want that either. What they wanted was a steady transfer of control as Iraqi forces were ready. This would be what the Prime Minister would discuss this evening. He would also discuss the need for the international community as a whole, including through the UN, to get behind the democratically elected government of Iraq and support it. This meant restoring and improving it's economy because even though that economy had grown by 10% this year it still had a lot of infrastructure improvements to be made. In addition as it guarded itself against the deliberate attempt by terrorists to destroy it he would say there was no excuse within the international community not to come behind a democratically elected government in Iraq.

Briefing took place at 17:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Offical Residences

Asked for an update on official residences such as Chevening, the PMOS said that he had clarified this yesterday and without reopening old wounds for the Independent their political editor had, himself, said that the diary story had been wrong. It had been announced on the day of the reshuffle that Jack Straw would be moving out and Chevening would continue it's traditional relationship with the Foreign Office. Asked about Admiralty House, the PMOS said that his estate agent powers only stretched so far. Journalists should consult the relevant departments.

Briefing took place at 17:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

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» Thursday, May 25, 2006

Freedom of Information Disclosure Statement

Pensions White Paper

President Bush talks

Offical Residences

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