Downing Street Says ... Every day the Prime Minister’s Spokesman meets a small coterie of political journalists known as ‘the lobby’ for a topical chat, or ‘briefing’.

Every day the Prime Minister's Spokesman meets a small coterie of political journalists known as 'the lobby' for a topical chat, or 'briefing'.

Downing Street Says... is an unofficial site that lets you read summaries of these briefings and add your own comments. Want to know more?

» Monday, August 11, 2008

Georgia

Asked if there were any words from the Prime Minister on the situation in Georgia, the PMS said that there might be words later in the day. The Prime Minister had held discussions over the weekend with President Sarkozy and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The Foreign Secretary had held discussions with Condoleezza Rice, Bernard [...]

Olympics

Put that it had been an excellent start for the British team, the PMS agreed and congratulated those members of the team who had been successful so far. Asked whether the team would be on target for 14 gold medals, the PMS advised people to wait and see. original source.

Stamp Duty

Asked what the Government’s response was to stories suggesting that there had been tension between No10 and No11 over stamp duty, the PMS said that he would not get into un-sourced stories and speculation. Downing Street and the Treasury of course worked very closely together. Asked how he would respond to stories that No10 placed the [...]

Fuel Bills

Asked about fuel bills and whether any measures brought in by the Government would be part of one package, the PMS said that announcements of that sort would be made in the Pre-Budget Report. No decisions on new measures had been taken and the Government was continuing to consider the best ways of meeting the [...]

Misc

Asked if the Prime Minister was still on holiday, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) told the assembled press that he was. Asked if the Government was saying anything on the Thai Prime Minister seeking asylum in the UK, the PMS replied that he did not think we would comment on an individual case. Asked which Minister would [...]

» Monday, August 4, 2008

Free Passports

Asked about free passports for the WWII generation, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) said that the Home Office had announced in 2004 that it would give free passports to anyone born before 1926, and this was the realisation of that announcement. Asked if the offer of free passports was a way of recognising the sacrifices the [...]

National Risk Register

Asked about the National Risk Register (NRR), the PMS said that the NRR was one of the measures identified in the National Security Strategy. Asked if the NRR listed the sorts of things that might pose a risk, the PMS said that it was a register of the various sorts of risks that Government made preparations [...]

SATs

Asked if the Key Stage 2 results published tomorrow were the SATs, the PMS said yes. Asked if everything concerning Key Stage 2 was now complete, the PMS said yes, that was his understanding. original source.

Economy

Asked if the Government was ruling out a windfall tax, the PMS said that decisions on such things were announced in the usual way through the Pre Budget Report (PBR) or the Budget. Asked how work was going on the economic recovery plan, the PMS said that the Government remained focused on the overall economic situation [...]

Cabinet

Asked when the first Cabinet meeting in September would be, the PMS confirmed that the date of the first Cabinet meeting in September would be Monday 8th and it would be held outside of London. Asked if holding the Cabinet meeting outside of London would become common practise, the PMS said that we hoped to repeat [...]

Miscellaneous

Asked if there was a reaction to the Iranian stonewalling at the weekend, the PMS said that if there was it would come from the Foreign Office. Asked about the guidance published today by the Department of Health on weighing and measuring children, the PMS said that from September, parents of children who had been weighed [...]

» Monday, July 28, 2008

Recess Arrangements

Asked how things were going with the new leader in post, under the temporary regime, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) replied that Downing Street was operating in the normal way. Asked if there was a meeting in the Cabinet Room at 9am this morning, the PMS replied that he was not going to comment on the [...]

Crosby Review

Put that the Government had made it clear that it would not be taking any action until the Pre-Budget Report (PBR), yet the Crosby Report was calling for action pretty much now, and asked if the Government was happy to wait a few more months, the PMS replied that the report tomorrow would be the [...]

Alcohol

Asked about the story in the Guardian today on the self regulation on drinks, the PMS replied that the Government had made clear that alcohol must be sold and marketed responsibly, and that new legislation would be introduced if necessary if existing voluntary standards were not met. original source.

Original PMOS briefings are © Crown Copyright. Crown Copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland. Click-use licence number C02W0004089. Material is reproduced from the original 10 Downing Street source, but may not be the most up-to-date version of the briefings, which might be revised at the original source. Users should check with the original source in case of revisions. Comments are © Copyright contributors. Everything else is © Copyright Downing Street Says.

» Monday, August 11, 2008

Georgia

Olympics

Stamp Duty

Fuel Bills

Misc

» Monday, August 4, 2008

Free Passports

National Risk Register

SATs

Economy

Cabinet

Miscellaneous

» Monday, July 28, 2008

Recess Arrangements

Crosby Review

Alcohol

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