Number 10 Press Briefing - Morning From 25 June 2010
Briefing by the Prime Minister's Spokesman on: abortion, G8 and Network Rail.
Abortion
Asked what the Prime Minister’s view was on abortion in light of the report published today on foetal awareness, the Prime Minister’s Spokeswoman (PMS) said that the Prime Minister was led by the science.
Asked if it was possible the Prime Minister could change his position on abortion in light of the findings published today, the PMS repeated that the Prime Minister was led by the science and referred reporters to the Department of Health regarding the report published today and what recommendations it was making. There were currently no plans to change the policy.
G8
Asked what the Prime Minister would discuss at the G8 today, the PMS referred reporters to the Prime Minister’s article in the Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail, where he set out how we wanted to make progress and not resort to “talking shops”. This was an opportunity for the Prime Minister to talk to his global partners in order to reform institutions and make them work better.
Network Rail
Asked if there was anything that the Government could do about the bonuses being paid at Network Rail, the PMS referred reporters to the Transport Secretary’s comments from yesterday, and added that there would be a review.
Put that the union was calling for members of the board to vote against the bonuses at the AGM and asked if the Government supported this, the PMS said that the Prime Minister and the Transport Secretary were both clear yesterday; they were very disappointed about the announcement.
Misc.
Asked if the Prime Minister was still confident that the Government could deliver a cap on non-EU immigration, the PMS said that the coalition agreement clearly stated the Government’s policy and what we were trying to achieve, which had not changed. The Home Secretary would be making an announcement on Monday and publishing a consultation document.
Asked if the Prime Minister would get to see the England v Germany game at the weekend, the PMS said that the Prime Minister was hoping to see as much of the game as possible.