Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: 2012 Olympics, Intelligence, Discrimination Law, BAE, Ford, PM Lecture and Falklands
2012 Olympics
Asked how the Prime Minister thought the preparations for the 2012 Olympics were going, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) replied that obviously the IOC would reach its own judgements, that was right and proper. But in previous judgements the IOC has recognised that we were substantially further ahead at this stage than comparable cities were at the same stage. So the progress was there. The Prime Minister has always recognised that the cycle of perception began with the euphoria of winning, followed by the realisation that there was quite a lot of work to be done, and then the inevitable accusations that it was all a disaster. This visit was a chance to look at the objective facts, and certainly on the last assessment the objective facts were that London was well ahead of the game.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Asked if the Prime Minister had any reservations over private equity companies taking over, the PMOS replied that he would not be speculating about what may happen in terms of future ownership. In terms of all these issues, the important point was that Government talked to the companies about the possible impact on jobs. And that we did all we could to create a climate in which companies can be successful.
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.
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.
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