Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: BNP, Asylum, Zimbabwe, War on Terror, Iraq, 2012 Olympic Games, Lords Reform and Fire Dispute.
BNP
Asked the Prime Minister’s reaction to the election of a BNP councillor in Halifax, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that the Prime Minister’s views on race relations, and in particular the importance of not seeking to increase divisions, were well known.
Asylum
Asked if the Prime Minister was as concerned as David Blunkett about people taking the law into their own hands and if he agreed with Mr Blunkett assessment’s that Britain was like a ‘coiled spring’ in relation to asylum seekers, the PMOS said that he had answered this question yesterday. It was perfectly legitimate both to point out that there were genuine concerns about this issue, as the Prime Minister had acknowledged in PMQs on Wednesday, and equally that there was a need to set out rationally the measures we were taking in response to those concerns, as indeed both he and the Home Secretary had been doing and would continue to do.
Zimbabwe
Asked if we would accept the ICC’s decision if it decided in its meeting today to allow Zimbabwe to host World Cup cricket matches, the PMOS said that we had set out our view on this issue many times previously. Equally, we had said that, ultimately, it was a matter for the cricketing authorities. That remained the case.
Asked if the British Government had reached a judgement on France’s request to waive the EU travel on Robert Mugabe so that he would be able to attend a Franco-African summit in Paris next month, the PMOS said that we had only received France’s formal request yesterday afternoon. It was therefore only right and proper for us to take the time to consider it carefully and go through the appropriate diplomatic processes.
War on Terror
Asked the Prime Minister’s reaction to the arrests of terrorist suspects in Italy overnight, the PMOS said that we welcomed the arrests by the Italian authorities. It underlined the continuing need for vigilance across Europe and the world because, as the Prime Minister had said to the Liaison Committee on Tuesday, the threat remained very real. Although the security services and the police were co-operating well - both nationally and internationally - this was clearly not an issue about which we should be complacent. Asked to confirm reports that those arrested in Italy had been planning to target Britain, the PMOS said that it would not be helpful to get into a discussion about intelligence issues. It was a matter for the police and security services.
Iraq
Asked to comment on a BBC report today which claimed that Iraq’s Republican Guard had been issued with protective clothing - thereby suggesting that Saddam Hussein had access to chemical and biological weapons, the PMOS said that we were not in a position to confirm whether the report on Radio 4’s Today Programme was correct or not. That was a matter for the BBC. That said, we were not surprised by the report because it was in line both with what UNSCOM had told the UN in 1999 after leaving Iraq, and also with our own dossier of evidence. A clear pattern was emerging which suggested not only that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction (WMD), but that he was also continuing to try to conceal them. That mean he was not complying with Resolution 1441, because he was not engaging proactively with the weapons inspectors to reveal what WMD he had and help them disarm. Asked whether British troops were fully equipped to deal with the threat of a chemical attack, the PMOS said that the MoD had stated that British troops would be fully equipped to deal with all threats should a war take place. However, it was important to recognise that a decision had not yet been taken about military action.
Questioned as to whether the Prime Minister concurred with the view expressed by US Under-Secretary-of-State Richard Armitage in Russia last night that it was not necessary for a new UN Resolution in order to take military action, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister’s view on this issue was clear. As he had underlined many times, a second Resolution would obviously be preferable, but there were circumstances where action could be taken without one.
Asked if he would agree that it was looking increasingly unlikely we would be able to get a second UN Resolution in the light of the stance adopted by France and Germany, the PMOS said that it was important for people not to jump too ahead of themselves at this point. Hans Blix and Mohammed ElBaradei were due to present a report to the UN Security Council on Monday. They had already indicated that the Iraqi regime was not co-operating proactively. We would take our lead from their conclusions.
Asked when the Prime Minister had last spoken to Chancellor Schroeder and President Chirac, the PMOS reminded journalists that the Prime Minister had met Chancellor Schroeder in Berlin a fortnight ago. He was also in regular contact with President Chirac, having last met at the European Council in Copenhagen where they had spent a great deal of time together in the margins of the meeting. The Anglo-French Summit was also due to take place in Le Toucquet on 4 February. Jack Straw and his French counterpart were also in regular contact, as were British and French Government officials. Asked if the Prime Minister was intending to speak to Chancellor Schroeder and President Chirac by phone within the next few days, the PMOS said he was not aware of any plans for him to do so at this stage.
2012 Olympic Games
Asked when the Cabinet would announce its view on whether to put in a bid for London to host the 2012 Olympic Games, the PMOS said that we would express a view when we were ready to do so.
Lords Reform
Questioned about the Prime Minister’s view on the membership of the House of Lords, the PMOS said that a debate on this issue was currently ongoing. The Prime Minister would express his personal opinion in due course.
Fire Dispute
Asked for a reaction to a report in today’s Times suggesting that the Government would relocate fire stations near motorways, the PMOS said that it was important to wait for the White Paper which was due to be published later in the year. It was no secret that we believed decisions on such matters should be devolved to Chief Fire Officers and, moreover, that the provision of fire services should be judged according to need, not to what we had historically inherited as was currently the case.
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