Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: EU Constitution, Lee Kuan Yew, Iraq. Police and Spain.
EU Constitution
Asked if the Prime Minister was as concerned as the Chancellor appeared to be about the dangers of the EU constitution, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) pointed out that what the Chancellor had said in his Today Programme interview this morning simply underlined what had always been our view, namely that we were opposed to tax harmonisation and fiscal harmonisation. Those red lines were not only well known, but were supported by other EU countries. We believed that the new EU Constitution would need to be clear on those points. The Chancellor’s comments this morning should therefore not have come as a surprise to anyone and did not take us any further forward on the issue.
Questioned as to whether the Prime Minister shared the Chancellor’s view that the EU Constitution, as currently drafted, could pose a threat to the UK inasmuch as it might lead to a common fiscal tax policy, the PMOS said that both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor were clear that there were red lines which we would not cross. The fact that other EU countries supported us showed that we were not isolated. The caricature of the 1980s, which had portrayed the situation as us versus the rest of the EU, should be discarded. We were in a solid position, supported by other countries, on each of our red lines, which was something that the Constitution would reflect. Put to him that the Chancellor had indicated quite clearly that the Constitution, in its current form, would lead to fiscal harmonisation, the PMOS suggested that journalists appeared to be going over old ground. We had made it clear from the outset that there was room for clarification. Similarly, we had expressed confidence that our concerns would be met - precisely because they were shared by other European partners. It was also important to remember that we had the option of using our veto, just like any other country, although we strongly believed that we would not reach such a point. Asked to explain why the Chancellor had felt the need to brief explicitly on what he would be saying at the ECOFIN meeting in Brussels today, the PMOS said that the Chancellor wanted to get the clarification that we needed, and it was entirely proper for him to spell that out. He cautioned journalists against getting the issue out of perspective. Put to him that the clarification of the Constitution was a matter for the FCO, not the Treasury, the PMOS said that the discussions at ECOFIN today would touch on these issues, which was why the Chancellor had been talking about them. We remained confident as to what the end result of the negotiations would be.
Lee Kuan Yew
Asked for a reaction to today’s Telegraph story about the treatment of the wife of Lee Kuan Yew, the Singaporean Senior Minister, in an NHS hospital recently, the PMOS said that the story was wrong, as indeed we had told the Telegraph last night. We had not become aware of Mrs Lee Kuan Yew’s position until after the procedure had been carried out. Asked if he was saying that no pressure had been applied to NHS managers by the FCO or anyone else, the PMOS said that was correct. Put to him that it had been reported that the Duty Officer at the FCO had phoned up the hospital to convey concern about her treatment, the PMOS said that, as was entirely appropriate, the Duty Officer had simply made a call to ascertain the position, not to apply any pressure - as the hospital authorities themselves had confirmed.
Iraq
Asked to comment on reports that young British Muslims were travelling to Iraq to fight Coalition forces, the PMOS said that we were not aware of any British nationals engaged in activities against Coalition forces in Iraq. Asked if the reports were being investigated, the PMOS said that it was obviously a matter which was being kept under review. However, he repeated that we were not aware of any British nationals engaged in activities against Coalition forces.
Police
Asked to explain the Home Secretary’s plans for elected Police Authorities given he had criticised the Opposition when they had announced the same idea three weeks ago, the PMOS said that as a Civil Servant, it wasn’t his job to comment on party political matters. However, as the consultation paper - which was due to run until January 2004 - made clear, there was a balance to be struck between having national standards and being able to adapt to local circumstances on the one hand, and having operational responsibility for the police and giving local people the opportunity to influence how the police should act in local circumstances on the other. The Home Secretary had talked about the need to strike the right balance on many occasions in the past, hence the consultation paper which was being launched today.
Spain
Asked if the Government was expecting repercussions arising from Spain’s decision to close its border with Gibraltar yesterday, the PMOS said that the matter was the subject of ongoing discussions. Asked if the British and Spanish Foreign Ministers would be talking to each other today, the PMOS said that Spain was aware of our position. Discussions were continuing as normal.
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