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» Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Prime Minister’s visit to Washington

Asked for information about the Prime Minister's pending trip to Washington this week, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) told journalists that the Prime Minister would have dinner with President Bush one on one tomorrow evening. There would then be a working session in the Oval Office on Thursday morning and a press conference, followed by a working lunch. The PMOS said that there would be some other events, including a reception on Northern Ireland at the British Embassy, which would be a way of thanking Irish-America for its part. In terms of the subjects involved, the WTO would be high on the agenda, as it was approaching crunch point and the run up to the G8 summit would also be important, particularly on climate change. The PMOS stressed that the outcomes were expected at the summit and not during this visit. Other topics were Africa in terms of the G8, including Darfur where we believed the world needed to send a very clear message to the Sudanese government. Iraq obviously would be an issue, as would the Middle East peace process.

Briefing took place at 15:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Climate Change

Asked if we recognised the Guardian's story this morning about being close to persuading President Bush on a 5 point climate change plan, the PMOS replied that as he had said this morning, what we were seeking at the G8 was a general consensus and a way forward. That must include not just Europe, but also the US and the developing countries, including India and China. The end point of this negotiation is G8, and not this week, but obviously, this was a stepping stone to the G8.

Briefing took place at 15:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Honours Lists

Asked if the Prime Minister had postponed his resignation of the Honours Lists, the PMOS replied that as he had said earlier, all those questions were premature.

Briefing took place at 15:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Sir Haydn Phillips’ Report

Asked for further information regarding Sir Haydn Phillips' statement, the PMOS said that the important thing was that inter-party talks began this afternoon. We believed that that was the way to try and move this forward, and we hoped that everybody contributed to them. This was an interim report from Sir Haydn Phillips. What was now important was the process.

Briefing took place at 15:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Publications

Asked when was the Prime Minister going to publish his review on family policy, the PMOS told journalists that they would not have very long to wait.

Briefing took place at 15:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

House of Commons Debates

Asked if the Government had shifted position on Parliament's powers, the PMOS said that as the Prime Minister had said at PMQs before, given that we had debated the Iraq war, it was almost inconceivable that people would not go through such a process again. As we had always highlighted, the important point was that troops were not put at risk by a Parliamentary process. Therefore, that was the balance that had to be achieved. That was always the balance at the heart of the Commons' policy. The PMOS said that it was almost without precedent for a Government to concede a vote on such occasions, and it did in 2003, and that should be taken into account.

Briefing took place at 15:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Taoiseach

Asked if the Prime Minister's address to Parliament ahead of the Taoiseach was simply a formal introduction, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) replied that the speech would cover the Prime Minister's personal view of Bertie Ahern and the contribution that he had made to both the peace process and also to wider relations between Britain and Ireland.

Briefing took place at 9:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (2)

Prime Miniser

Asked for a comment on the story in the Mirror today that the Prime Minister was not expected to draw up a resignation honours list, the PMOS replied that all of this was premature.

Briefing took place at 9:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Police Inquiry

Asked if we expected to hear anything from the Crown Prosecution Service, the PMOS replied that this was entirely a matter for the CPS.

Briefing took place at 9:00 | Read whole briefing | Comment (1)

Climate Change

Asked if we recognised anything in today's Guardian story on a 5-point climate change plan, the PMOS replied that it was no secret that the EU had agreed its targets, and its goal. Therefore what we were looking for was consensus on the way forward internationally. As he said yesterday, the EU on its own could not deliver on climate change. The whole point was that post Kyoto we were looking for a consensus that not only involved the United States, but also India and China. This was the only guaranteed way in which we could make the necessary progress.

Briefing took place at 9:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

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Prime Minister’s visit to Washington

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