Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Bali, Iraq, Prisons and Lords Reform.
Bali
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) drew journalists’ attention to a Written Question being answered today by the Prime Minister through which he would publish the Government’s response to the Intelligence and Security Committee’s Inquiry into Intelligence, Assessments and Advice prior to the terrorist bombings on Bali on 12 October 2002. Asked what the report would say, the PMOS said that he had no intention of pre-empting of it. It would be published shortly. Needless to say it was a serious piece of work which had been commissioned by the Foreign Secretary who had wished to be able to reassure Parliament, the public and in particular the families of those killed and injured that no intelligence had been overlooked which could have prevented the terrorist attacks.
Iraq
Asked to explain how the Prime Minister’s commitment to listen to dissenting views on Iraq would manifest itself in his position concerning a second UN Resolution, the PMOS said it was important to recognise that there was a wide range of opinion across Parliament and it was therefore essential for each to be reflected in equal measure. He said he had no doubt that the broadcasters would want to ensure that that was the case throughout the course of today, rather than focus solely on the views of those who opposed military action. It was also important to recognise that Ministers were also MPs and that the media’s tendency to discount their opinions was therefore wrong. Their views were just as valid as anyone else’s. The Prime Minister had underlined from the outset that he understood and shared the concerns about the consequences of war which were being expressed both by MPs and those who had taken to the streets. However, as Prime Minister he felt it necessary to address the wider questions, such as the dangers of Saddam continuing to possess WMD, the pattern of his attempts over the past twelve years to avoid dealing with the issue, and also the reality of daily life in Iraq where Saddam continued his regime of torture and terror by using WMD on his own people. The Prime Minister believed that MPs should face up to the need to address the context of the issue in full.
Questioned as to whether those who flouted the three-line whip today would be disciplined, the PMOS reminded journalists that it wasn’t our policy to answer hypothetical questions. That said, he could confirm there was a three-line whip in operation.
Asked if the Prime Minister would regard a large majority this evening as a parliamentary endorsement of the approach he was taking on Iraq and de facto wherever that approach might take us, the PMOS said we had made it clear that the vote today was a vote on the Government’s approach so far. It was not a vote either on the draft UN Resolution currently before the UN because it was still only in draft form, and nor was it a vote on military action because we had not yet reached that point. Asked to rule out the possibility that a positive outcome this evening could be used in the future by the Prime Minister to say that Parliament was in favour of the action the Government was taking at that particular time, the PMOS said that everyone was aware of the approach the Government was taking. We had spelled it out on numerous occasions both to Parliament and to the public, and we would continue to do so. However, it was important to recognise that today’s vote was not about military action or the draft UN Resolution.
Asked if the Prime Minister was aware that he had not yet convinced large sections of the public about the possible need for war, the PMOS said the Prime Minister recognised that some concerns remained. However, he believed people understood that that this wasn’t simply a question of war or peace. It was about how to deal with Saddam, how to deal with his WMD, how to deal with the fact that he was continuing to defy the authority of the UN and the ramifications of defying Resolution 1441 which, as agreed unanimously by the Security Council, required him to co-operate actively, fully and immediately. Consequently, Saddam’s failure to implement 1441 would have implications not only for Iraq, but for the entire UN as well.
Asked whether the Prime Minister had been involved in any further diplomatic activity over the last couple of days, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister was continuing to talk to colleagues around the world. We would update journalists on those conversations at the appropriate time. As the Prime Minister had noted yesterday, we were now entering a phase where we predicted that Saddam was going to eke out apparent ‘concessions’ which, given the pattern of his behaviour over the past twelve years, would either turn out not to be concessions at all or would subsequently be retracted. Indeed, our prediction already seemed to be coming true given reports that Iraq had provided documentation outlining the details of a previously undeclared biological bomb. It was almost as if someone else had been responsible for the Iraqi declaration on 8 December which was supposed to be a full, frank and honest account of all the weaponry which Iraq possessed. If other things were found, it reinforced the view that the declaration was false. The PMOS added that it should also be borne in mind that all these ‘concessions’ were only being made because Saddam knew there were 200,000 troops massed on Iraq’s border.
Asked for a response to a Today Programme report this morning which claimed that only a handful of RAF jets had reached the Gulf, the PMOS said that he did not recognise the picture the report had painted. Obviously we were unable to go into detail about precisely where our aircraft were located. However, the bottom line was that the deployment was on schedule and in line with our planning. Asked if he was implying that there was no problem in the deployment process, the PMOS repeated that the deployment was on schedule and in line with our planning. Journalists surely did not expect him to go into detail about which aircraft were located where.
Prisons
Asked to confirm reports that David Blunkett had won £200m to expand prison accommodation, the PMOS said that it wasn’t our policy to brief on internal discussions. Asked if the Government recognised that the Prison Service was in crisis and that further prison accommodation was necessary, the PMOS pointed out that funds from the recent spending review already provided for 78,000 places. The current prison population was 72,000. The ongoing ‘correctional services’ review would ensure that we were making the most of the existing provision. In addition, the Prison Service had been allocated a further £60m from the CSR to fund new prison places next year. Asked if an announcement regarding the expansion of prison accommodation was imminent, the PMOS said he had no intention of providing a running commentary on this matter.
Lords Reform
Asked to explain how the Prime Minister intended to fulfil his manifesto pledge on Lords reform if the Joint Committee dealing with the issue had suspended its work, the PMOS said that it was up to the Joint Committee to speak for itself. That said, he did not think that the premise of the question was accurate.Previous press briefings
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