Number 10 Press Briefing - Afternoon From 1 November 2010
From the Prime Minister's spokesperson on: Cobra.
Cobra
Asked what was decided at the COBRA meeting today, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS), said that was the subject of the Home Secretary’s statement later this afternoon.
Asked whether the PM chaired the meeting and whether senior Cabinet Ministers were in attendance, the PMS said the PM did chair the meeting and the Deputy Prime Minister, Transport Secretary, Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary and senior officials from the relevant Departments and Agencies were present, amongst others.
Asked whether control orders were discussed at the meeting, PMS said no, adding that the meeting focussed on events over the weekend.
Asked whether the measures considered at COBRA can be taken unilaterally or if they will need international agreement, the PMS said the Home Secretary will be making a statement later this afternoon.
Asked how long the COBRA meeting lasted, the PMS replied that it lasted roughly an hour.
Asked if the PM chaired a COBRA meeting over the weekend, the PMS said no, adding that there was a COBRA meeting on Saturday that was chaired by the Home Secretary.
Put that on Sunday the Home Secretary said the devices were meant to be detonated mid-air rather than at the destination and if this was still the case, the PMS said that the Home Secretary said that the devices could have exploded when the aircraft was in mid-air. The PMS added there was an ongoing investigation into this incident and we would not be giving a running commentary on it.
Asked whether the PM believed that everything that could have been done over the weekend was done in the best possible way, the PMS said there was an ongoing investigation and our objective now was to make sure all necessary steps were being taken.
Put that the PMS was suggesting that security arrangements at cargo terminals were more lax than security arrangements at passenger terminals, PMS replied that in light of what has happened it is sensible for us to be looking at the issue and making sure that the necessary steps were being taken.
Asked when the review into anti-terrorism legislation was going to be announced. The PMS said it was ongoing and there was no date for an announcement at this time.