Downing Street Says » 2007

» Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Intelligence

Asked if the Prime Minister agreed with Gordon Brown that intelligence should be separated from politicians, the PMOS replied that looking at the Butler review, and the consequences of the review, this was a part of that. As an example of what had happened since then, SIS had created a senior post with responsibility for the overall quality of intelligence, and the process by which it is produced. They had also put in place mechanisms to ensure that all highly classified material was seen by at least one DIS officer who could advise them further on redistribution. This was a process of ongoing review, but this was a process that was put in place as a result of the Butler review.

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

Discrimination Law

Asked for more details on the Discrimination Law review, the PMOS replied that it was essentially looking at how we prevent discrimination happening in the first place by making equality law clearer, and consulting on whether there are significant gaps in protection. At the same time recognising what we had done already in terms of preventing harmful discrimination in the workplace, providing new rights to prevent discrimination on grounds of sexuality or religious belief, and supporting working families and carers, as well as setting up the Commission for Equality and Human Rights.

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

BAE

Asked if the Prime Minister still remained opposed to a judicial inquiry into the BAe affair, the PMOS replied that our position had not changed. The assessment was reached on the grounds of national security, at the same time as the Attorney General stated his belief that in his view a prosecution was unlikely. This had not changed.

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

Ford

Asked if the Prime Minister had any reaction to Ford selling off Jaguar and Land Rover, and were there any contingency plans for job losses, the PMOS replied that obviously we were in touch with the company. We still believed that Land Rover and Jaguar were highly successful companies and would have a highly successful future.

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

PM Lecture

Asked what the Prime Minister was trying to achieve in his speech today, the PMOS replied that first and foremost the Prime Minister was trying to make an analysis from the vantage point of someone in his unique position of having been at the top for a substantial period of time, and who was coming to the end of his time, and therefore in a position to offer his honest view, popular or not, on what is the problem at the heart of the relationship between media and public life. His analysis was that this is not a problem because of the people involved, it was a problem about the changing context of communication. That changing context was one in which, because of changes in technology that affect us all there was increased competition. This drives the need to make impact more important than factual reporting, and this was distorting the relationship. As the Prime Minister said, he is not out to cast blame, he is out to try and analyse the problem. The Prime Minister believed that there were possible solutions down the road in terms of regulation, because the changing technology also means that the distinction between broadcasters and print journalists, whilst it would not disappear in terms of their respective roles vis-à-vis comment and so on, it made the basic distinction between them increasingly irrelevant. Broadcasters were increasingly going online, so too were print journalists. So they would have different roles, but the platforms would increasingly be the same.

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

Falklands

Asked if it was correct that the Prime Minister had been to Argentina once, but never been to the Falklands, the PMOS replied that he would check. But a more substantive question would be to ask what had the Government done to support the Falklands? Its record on that was one that to be proud of.

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

» Monday, June 11, 2007

Intelligence

Asked if there was anything the Government could do to make intelligence presentations more independent of their political masters, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) replied that these were matters that were considered by the inquiries at the time after the war. There were recommendations made at that point, but these were matters that were constantly under review.

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

Iraq

Asked if the Chancellor had spoken to the Prime Minister today ahead of his statement in Iraq, the PMOS replied that the Prime Minister and the Chancellor talk on a regular basis but we did not give a running commentary on those discussions.

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

Scotland

Asked when the Prime Minister would reply to Alex Salmond on prisoner transfers, the PMOS replied that the Government would reply at the appropriate time.

Briefing took place at 15:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (2)

EU Constitution

Asked if it was our position that there was no outcome that would ever require a referendum, the PMOS replied that the Prime Minister has said that he believed in an amended treaty without the elements of a constitution. This was the approach that he had agreed with Prime Minister Balkenende, this was the approach he had put to Chancellor Merkel, and this is the approach that he shared with President Sarkozy. That was the ballpark in which Europe as a whole now seemed to be talking, and that was what the aim was.

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

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» Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Intelligence

Discrimination Law

BAE

Ford

PM Lecture

Falklands

» Monday, June 11, 2007

Intelligence

Iraq

Scotland

EU Constitution

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