Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Black Watch and Zimbabwe.
Black Watch
Asked if as according to some army sources the Black Watch’s was now not going to be saved the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that the results of the review would be announced when the results of the review were announced and that he would simply warn people against indulging in speculation. In response to suggestions that others were briefing the PMOS said that to whoever was indulging in speculation he would simply say it was best to wait for the results of the review. Asked for some guidance on timing of the results of the review the PMOS said that because this was a matter being lead by the army it would be totally wrong for him to get involved in time sequences. Asked who would take the final decision the PMOS said that it would be based on a recommendation from the Army Board, which would then be passed through the Ministry of Defence to the Prime Minister. Asked for the timing of the Army Board meeting and the subsequent announcement the PMOS said he would not be getting involved in commenting on when the Army Board did or did not meet or on any announcement on the timescale as set by the Army Board not by us. Asked if it was right that the Secretary of State and the Armed Forces Minister were on the Army Board the PMOS said that the membership of the Board was a matter for the MoD to comment on. We would all have to wait and see what the Army Board recommended and then we would follow procedure.
Zimbabwe
Asked about Peter Hain’s comment in the House of Commons saying the Government was against the England team touring in Zimbabwe and the Foreign Secretary’s more neutral stance that it was not a matter for the Government to decide and which of the two positions was accurate the PMOS reminded journalists what the Foreign Secretary had said on 6 May at a joint press conference with Tim Lamb, Chief Executive of the ECB, David Morgan and Tessa Jowell:
"It is appropriate for the government to express a view about issues of this kind."
"We would prefer the tour to be postponed until the situation in Zimbabwe improves."
"But it is right that in our system it is for sporting authorities to make the decisions in cases such as this."
So in other words we had made our views clear but it was a matter for the cricketing authorities to reach a decision. In response to the suggestion that Denis MacShane was inadvertently supporting the tour by calling for the return of the banned journalists the PMOS said that in terms of media freedoms we had always said we believed in those media freedoms and that was our position. In terms of our view of the situation in Zimbabwe we had expressed our view consistently but we had equally said it was a matter for the cricketing authorities. If people were asked if the press should have freedom to report an event the answer was yes, and it was appropriate that we made our views known.
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