Press briefing from the Prime Minister’s Spokesman on: Deputy Prime Minister, Iraq, Sudan, EU Football and Education Bill
Deputy Prime Minister
Asked whether the Prime Minister had wanted to take away Dorneywood from the Deputy Prime Minister in the reshuffle, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that we had said all that we wanted to about reshuffles until the next one, whenever that may be. Put that people had a right to know whether the Prime Minister thought it was appropriate for the Deputy Prime Minister to have these perks, the PMOS said that he thought people wanted to know what the Prime Minister thought the Deputy Prime Minister’s role was. The Prime Minister had set that out very very clearly in his letter of appointment. That role was a mixture of chairing important cabinet committees on important subjects and representing the Prime Minister and the government in important meetings overseas, as he had done last week in Finland on preparations for their presidency of the EU.
Asked why it was appropriate for him to have these privileges when other ministers work on more difficult portfolios, the PMOS said that the implicit criticism in the question was not founded. The role of chairing cabinet committees on key subjects was an important one. He accepted that it was not one done before the public eye, but in reality however, that in a way underlined it’s importance. Inevitably in any government there were policy areas that needed to be ironed out between departments and the Deputy Prime Minister played a very important role in ensuring that happened.
Asked whether the Prime Minister was happy that the Deputy Prime Minister’s package was complete, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister had very clearly set out in this reshuffle, and more explicitly than ever before, what he thought the roles and priorities were for each member of the government and that included the Deputy Prime Minister. Asked who had Chevening, the PMOS said that Chevening was being transferred from Jack Straw to Margaret Beckett. It would remain with the Foreign Secretary role.
Iraq
Put that Des Browne had in answer to a parliamentary question yesterday said that he was not able to say when Iraqi forces would be capable of looking after security, the PMOS said that you could not just address the issue as one question. There were a series of questions within that question. In 14 out of 18 of the Iraqi provinces the situation was relatively calm. Therefore it was easier for the Iraqi forces to take control province by province, as the Iraqi Prime Minister had set out yesterday, in those 14 provinces this summer. The key question, however, was whether you could maintain that momentum into the more difficult areas and that was why it was important that we had for the first time a democratically elected Iraqi government, which represented all of Iraq. What was interesting in yesterday’s discussions was the seriousness with which all the different elements within the Iraqi government took the unity of the government. Secondly, no one whether Shia, Sunni or Kurd, with connections to the insurgency had called for immediate withdrawal. What they all wanted to know was that we did not intend to stay forever, which we did not want either, but equally they did not want us to leave immediately either. They wanted us to create a situation where the Iraqi troops were ready to take on the responsibility. This was what we were doing.
Sudan
Asked what was meant by the text in joint statement on Darfur saying "EU and NATO, through airlift co-ordination and training" and the phrase "we stand ready to do more", the PMOS said that the first thing was that we talked to the African Union and others about what they needed. As people would recall from Gleneagles we had committed to help create a 20,000 African Union peacekeeper force which was part of this. There was also a short-term need to implement the Darfur agreement reached last week. First and foremost we needed to speak to the African Union and today’s discussion was part of that. Asked if that meant troops, the PMOS said we should have the discussions first and then see what NATO, as a whole, could do. It would take into account people’s commitments elsewhere. Asked whether it was right to say that the shortages were in training for troops, the PMOS said that was why we were talking about creating 20,000 African peacekeepers and training was an important part of that.
EU Football
Asked whether the Prime Minister had met the Portuguese finance minister today, the PMOS said no, the report, as journalists would expect, had been received by DCMS. Asked whether the football report had come up with President Barroso, the PMOS said that the issues discussed on that agenda were primarily those that would be part of the June European Council and the forward look for the EU. Asked if there was a government response, the PMOS said that we would obviously study it and consider it seriously but we would also bear in mind the success that premiership clubs had seen this year and the need to maintain that.
Education Bill
Asked whether the Prime Minister would be voting tonight, PMOS said he suspected that the Prime Minister knew, but he had not had time to check out for sure yet.
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