Downing Street Says » 2006

» Friday, September 8, 2006

Prime Minister

Asked whether the Prime Minister welcomed Charles Clarke's article in the Evening Standard, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that he had absolutely on comment whatsoever to make. We were getting on with the business of government. Asked whether the Prime Minister was happy that members of his Cabinet were being described as they were, the PMOS repeated that he had no comment to make on Charles Clarke's article. Charles Clarke was no longer a member of the Cabinet and as such it was a matter for Charles Clarke. Asked whether the Prime Minister would like everyone to talking to stop about the issue, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister had set out his position yesterday, which was that he thought the country wanted the government to get on with the business of governing. That was what he would be doing and that was what the country would see him doing in the coming days.

Briefing took place at 8:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Middle East

Asked how the Prime Minister thought he could help, the PMOS said that if people looked at the Prime Minister's speech in Los Angeles it set out a strategic analysis of why the Prime Minister believed we had to try to deal with Lebanon and why we had to begin the process of trying to get back to making progress in Palestine. It was important to do this despite the very real anger and concern surrounding the issue this summer from all side. In his visit to the region shortly the Prime Minister did not anticipate immediately moving into anything like detailed discussion or negotiations. It would be about assessing where things were and examining preliminary processes of trying to find a way to get back to that type of discussion. It would not be about setting dates or detailed processes. If people looked at what the Prime Minister had consistently said on the Middle East over the years he had a position that was for the good of the Middle East.

Briefing took place at 8:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

» Thursday, September 7, 2006

Prime Minister

The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) advised journalists that the Prime Minister would be visiting two schools in London this afternoon. The first visit would be to a primary school in East London where he would see phonics being used to teach literacy to five-year-olds. The second visit would be to a secondary school between 2pm and 3pm where he would no doubt say some words regarding the speculation about him.

Briefing took place at 7:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (6)

Middle East

Asked if the Prime Minister had discussed his proposed visit to the Middle East with President Bush, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister and President spoke on a regular basis. President Bush was well aware of our position, as we were of his. Officials from both countries remained in constant contact both with each other and with all the players in the region, as you would expect.

Briefing took place at 7:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

» Wednesday, September 6, 2006

Middle East

Asked what the Prime Minister was hoping to achieve on his shortly expected trip to the Middle East, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that the Prime Minister had set out his thinking on this in his speech in Los Angeles. The Prime Minister was aware that the immediate focus was still on resolving the outcomes of the recent conflict and no doubt part of any visit would be to deal with such issues, for example the blockade. However, he fundamentally believed that people also needed to address the fundamental issues of the future of Lebanon and Palestine.

Briefing took place at 6:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Premiership

Asked why Tom Watson was still a minister when he had signed an ultimatum for the Prime Minister to go, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister was planning to talk to Tom Watson later today. Asked whether Tom Watson would still be a minister later today, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister would speak to him later today so it was best for that to take place first before commenting. Asked whether the Prime Minister planned to speak to the Parliamentary Private Secretaries (PPS) that had signed the letter too, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister was intending to talk to Tom Watson. He was not aware of other conversations people would have to wait and see.

Briefing took place at 6:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

» Tuesday, September 5, 2006

Prime Minister’s speech

The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) told journalists that this was the third lecture in the series (the first two were on criminal justice and public health). The next speech would be on science. The current speech, like the others, was a serious analysis of the issues regarding social exclusion, i.e. what was and was not being done, and what the next challenges were. As the Prime Minister would make clear, he was not talking about baby ASBOs, making the state raise children, or interfering with family life. Rather, where it was clear that at a young age, children were at risk of being brought up in a dysfunctional home where there were multiple problems, instead of waiting until the child went off the rails, we should act early, with the right help, support and discipline framework.

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

Prime Minister’s leaving date

Asked if this speech was part of the Prime Minister looking beyond the finishing line and "going out with a bang", the PMOS replied that he thought the journalist was asking in a polite way about today's Daily Mirror story. The Prime Minister was focussed today on this issue of social exclusion, just as he had been focussed on the issues of criminal justice and public health when he gave his lectures on them. The Prime Minister has also continued his focus on delivering the pension reform, the energy review, and on the issue of the Middle East, which was why we continued to be focussed on that. The PMOS said that the Prime Minister had not seen the memo, nor had the PMOS, nor other senior staff in No10. What the Prime Minister had said to people like him was that what he was interested in was the issues, and addressing those issues. The Prime Minister knew that people would make up their own minds about him and his record, but what he wanted to do was focus on the substances of what the Government had done, and needed to keep doing, not the image.

Briefing took place at 17:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (2)

MPs letter

Asked if the Prime Minister had received any letters from MPs, the PMOS said that was a party matter.

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

Middle East

Asked for information regarding the Middle East, the PMOS replied that the important thing was that as the Prime Minister indicated in LA, that he believed that difficult as the matter was, and angry and mistrustful as people were, we had to deal with the immediate issue, and the UN continued to gather support from multinational forces. We also had to begin the process of re-engagement again. At this stage, we recognised that could only be in terms of small steps, but it was important that we began the conversation again. Therefore, that was what the Prime Minister would do. With regards to a trip to the Middle East, as the PMOS had said yesterday, a trip was not an end in itself. Rather, it was part of beginning that conversation again.

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

Original PMOS briefings are © Crown Copyright. Crown Copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland. Click-use licence number C02W0004089. Material is reproduced from the original 10 Downing Street source, but may not be the most up-to-date version of the briefings, which might be revised at the original source. Users should check with the original source in case of revisions. Comments are © Copyright contributors. Everything else is © Copyright Downing Street Says.

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» Friday, September 8, 2006

Prime Minister

Middle East

» Thursday, September 7, 2006

Prime Minister

Middle East

» Wednesday, September 6, 2006

Middle East

Premiership

» Tuesday, September 5, 2006

Prime Minister’s speech

Prime Minister’s leaving date

MPs letter

Middle East

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