Downing Street

Briefing by the Prime Minister’s Spokesman on: Default Retirement Age, Prime Minister’s trip to India, Pakistan and Scotland

Default Retirement Age

Asked what the Prime Minister thought about criticism from some in the business sector that the proposal to scrap the Default Retirement Age (DRA) would create uncertainty, the Prime Minister’s Spokeswoman (PMS) said that the point of this was to give greater choice to both employers and employees.  We knew that older workers brought a wealth of talent and experience as employees, and that they had a vital contribution to make.

Put that if there was nothing to take the DRA’s place a vacuum would be created, the PMS said that this was a consultation process so we would listen to views from business.

Put that this would have a negative impact on youth unemployment, the PMS said that research had shown the opposite was true.  Retaining more older people in work stimulated the economy, which in turn helped create more job opportunities for everyone, including young people. UK and international evidence had found that younger and older worker employment were not substitutes, and in some cases were complementary.

Asked if the Prime Minister agreed with the Pensions Minister’s comments on state pension, the PMS said that the government was looking at pension reform and wanted to be assured that the pension met the needs of older people.

Prime Minister’s Trip to India

Asked who decided that the Prime Minister should stay in a hotel that had a butler, the PMS said that accommodation was chosen on both financial and practical considerations.   The Prime Minister had said this morning that he wasn’t aware of such a service, but we understood it was the normal practice of the hotel to provide support staff to their visitors.

Asked about staff at Chequers, the PMS said that Chequers was owned by a trust and we wouldn’t go into detail of staff arrangements.

Pakistan

Asked if there had been any representation from the Pakistani government following the Prime Minister’s comments yesterday, the PMS said that the Foreign Secretary was asked the same question this morning and had said that he wasn’t aware of any representations.

Scotland

Asked what the Prime Minister thought about the Scottish spending review and the fact that health wouldn’t be ring fenced, the PMS said that our spending review was ongoing, and the Prime Minister had made clear our commitment to the health service.

Policing minister Nick Herbert will join us for a live online Q&A at 11.00 BST on Monday 2 August to answer your questions on the Government’s plans to change the face of policing over the next five years.

You will be able to submit questions during the Q&A directly into the CoveritLive discussion or via twitter.

Earlier this week, the Government launched the consultation Policing in the 21st Century: Reconnecting Police and the People, which contains proposals for ways to make police in England and Wales more available and responsive, more accountable, more effective, and better value for money.

The document looks at proposals such as directly electing police and crime commissioners, creating a new National Crime Agency and cutting police bureaucracy. You can take read the consultation and respond online on the Home Office website.

Live Q&A with Policing Minister Nick Herbert

A transcript of a joint press conference given by Prime Minister David Cameron and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, Turkey, on 27 July 2010.

Read the transcript

Prime Minister Erdogan

Distinguished members of the press, as you know, after the general election in the UK last May Mr David Cameron became head of the coalition government formed by the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats and he is now paying his first official visit to Turkey. The fact that he is here in Turkey just three months after he became Prime Minister is very important and I would like to express my thanks both to him and to members of his delegation on behalf of myself and my country.

This is the first coalition government established in the UK since the Second World War and, as such, it is a very significant structure. On the 8th July this year, our Foreign Minister Davutoglu visited the UK and met with his counterpart to hold very fruitful meetings.

As you know, politically, economically, commercially, culturally – in all areas we have a lot of relations with the UK. We work a lot on many of these areas and I can say that these relations have been growing for a long time and we have what you might call a ‘golden age’ in our relations. We sit together at international organisations and platforms, and the UK’s support of Turkey in Turkey’s accession process to the European Union has also been very important. The UK has been unwavering in its support to Turkey which we are very appreciative of. We work together in NATO, also at the G20 and throughout the course of these relations we see them being supported by the longstanding historical relations that we have.

Economically speaking, there are about 2,000 British entrepreneurs and businesses active in Turkey and, in 2008, our bilateral trade stood at US$13.5 billion. In 2009 our bilateral trade suffered somewhat of a decline because of the global crisis and it went down to $9.5 billion.

In addition to our economic relations we have very good relations in the area of tourism. In 2009 the number of British tourists visiting Turkey reached 2.5 million. Not only that, we also saw in 2009 that the number of British nationals who own property in Turkey rose from 20,000 to 30,000 in 2010. That is also a very positive development.

These are all important in establishing greater dialogue and solidarity between our peoples too, and as my dear friend David also said before, there is no party in the UK that opposes Turkey’s accession to the EU. In other words, all political parties in the UK support Turkey’s accession process to the European Union. That observation is very important because in the seven and a half years that we have been in power here in Turkey we have always experienced great support from British governments.

In addition to that, we also believe that one of the important steps that we have taken in our relations is the Strategic Cooperation Agreement which we just signed in its revised form. We have updated that cooperation agreement so that we can have an even stronger basis for our future cooperation with this development now. With this agreement that we have signed we can further develop our relations; there are 150,000 people from Turkey living in the UK and 17 members have been elected to city councils in the UK who have Turkish origins.

In our discussions, I have also said to the Prime Minister that in graduate and post-graduate studies, Turkish students like to go and study in the UK. The US the preferred location but the UK comes next to it. If the tuition fees could be reduced to the levels that are valid for students coming from Europe, I do believe that there would be even greater interest on the part of Turkish students to go and study in the UK to complete their graduate and doctoral studies. I look forward to support from the Prime Minister on this point.

Another important step that we have spoken about in this process is the role of Turkey in its region. We had an opportunity to talk about Iran, about Iraq, Syria, the Middle East and, more importantly, about Cyprus. As the three guarantor countries – Turkey, the UK and Greece – there could be things that we can do to support the process and we have discussed what needs to be done to ensure that this process can be completed by the end of this year.

We also had an exchange of views as to whether we have the determination to complete this process and I see this determination in David as well to complete the process. With the work of our foreign ministers on both sides I believe we can contribute a lot to this process and with the work that they do I am sure they can focus our energies even more to the subject of settling this issue. The result that we can achieve in this topic will be very important in trying to change the course of events in Cyprus from a negative light to a more positive one which would be a very important achievement in itself.

We discussed developments in the Middle East and also issues relating to Syria and the view that we and other countries have with regard to overcoming the vacuum in Iraq. It is important to note that Iraq decides for itself in the ballot box what it wants its future to be and that it would be wrong to leave to the future of Iraq to the appreciation of other countries in the region. We discussed that we should be focussing more on what we can do to help the process and confine our efforts to that, and this is something that we have discussed amongst ourselves.

On the other hand, there are also steps that British entrepreneurs have been taking in Turkey with regard to energy, the defence industry and also with regard to infrastructure works. We are very appreciative of these efforts but the important steps that we can take in the area of cultural relations is important; we have just witnessed the signing of an agreement between the British Council and the Yunus Emre Cultural Centre and we hope that in the shortest time possible we will have in very good physical condition a proper cultural centre in place in the UK. I think this will stand a lot to contribute to our cultural relations in the future and that was something that we also discussed.

Additionally, we also would like to see a Turkish-British university established; this could not be government-to-government, perhaps, but there could be some collaboration between foundations to work to establish a university just like Westminster and other places. There are other foundation universities in the UK and we have foundation universities here in Turkey as well.

It could be possible to have some sort of cooperation to establish a Turkish-British university and that is something that we have spoken about. We see that we both agree on taking such a step because we are already engaged in working with German and Italian counterparts to establish German and Italian universities here. To add to that, a British university is very important and to have a similar effort with the Russians too would be important. These would all render the future stronger for us when we have younger people associating with each other at universities. Now I would like to turn the floor to David.

Prime Minister

Thank you very much, Tayyip, and thank you for making me so welcome and my team so welcome on this visit to Turkey. As you said, we have had some excellent talks over the last 24 hours and it has been a pleasure to meet you again in government having met you so many times when I was in opposition.

I very much admire the leadership that you have given to Turkey and I can see the enormous economic success that your country now has. The fact that the Istanbul economy alone is actually larger than 12 individual EU economies is testament to the vast growth there has been in your country, much of which has been under your leadership.

I very much welcome what you say about this golden age and a golden opportunity for the British-Turkish relationship and that is very much a vision I share. I thought that during our talks you can really feel that there is a shared vision between us; we are both believers in free enterprise, both believers in NATO and defence, both strongly wanting Turkey to become a full member of the European Union, both believing it is unfair that Turkey should be asked to guard the camp but not sit in the tent. Also both of us want to work together to solve some of the most difficult and intractable problems in the Middle East including the issues of the Middle East peace process and Iran, about which we have had very good discussions.

This shared vision, I think, leads to the decision to refresh and renew the Strategic Partnership which we have just signed. Everyone can read the Strategic Partnership in detail, but to me there are really two fundamental elements.

The first element is our very strong commitment to try and grow our economies together. I think the opportunities here are immense and we have talked about bringing together business leaders from both our countries, we have talked about how we want to both push for a completion of the Doha Trade Round and we will work together for that at the G20. We have also discussed issues of access, both access to the UK economy and access to the Turkish economy, to make sure that we are both as open in trading as we can be. And as you have just said, the opportunities for establishing a British university in Turkey and for a Turkish cultural centre in London I think are both opportunities that we want to take up.

The second part of the relationship to me is about how we can work together on the strategic and diplomatic priorities, where we believe that Turkey is right not to choose between East and West but to choose both and to choose to become anchored in the European Union. Together we can work to try and resolve problems, whether it is our shared view that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon, or our shared view that in the Middle East we need to go to direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Obviously the most important issue of all for me is the issue of Afghanistan and how we can continue to deliver progress in terms of security and stability in Afghanistan. The Turkish input and relationship there is vital, as a country with a large Muslim population proving once and for all that our involvement in Afghanistan is about fighting terror and securing a stable Afghanistan and not about occupation.

I think we have had extremely productive talks and I look forward to our foreign ministers carrying forward many of the issues that we have covered. I think, as you have put it, there is a golden age in this relationship for the taking and I think for the importance for the future growth of our economies, for the future collaboration over these diplomatic and strategic and political issues, I think it is one that we can work together with.

We had a very good conversation as well about the issue of Cyprus and I share your view that we need to try and make sure that we get real progress this year – this is the year when we ought to be trying to get an agreement that can settle that issue in a way that is satisfactory. So I’d like to thank you again for the very warm welcome that you’ve given to me and my team, and hope this is the first of many such meetings, where we can update on the real progress that we’re going to make in this strategic partnership.

Thank you.

Prime Minister Erdogan

Now we’ll turn to our guests for two questions from the British press.

Question

Thank you very much, Prime Minister. You’re arguing very strongly for Turkey to become a member of the European Union; if that were to happen, that opens up the UK, potentially, to a very large group of new immigrants. Isn’t that at odds with your aim to cut the levels of immigration to the UK, even if you were to put in temporary controls?

And, if I may, what reaction do you expect the Israelis to have to your description of Gaza as a ‘prison camp’?

And, Prime Minister Erdogan, if I can address those same two issues to you.

Prime Minister

Well, let me take the second question first. My description of Gaza is something that I actually said in the House of Commons several weeks ago. Perhaps this is final proof that if you want to keep something completely secret you should announce it in the House of Commons. The fact is that we have long supported lifting the blockade of Gaza, we have long supported proper humanitarian access and, even though some progress has been made, we’re still in the situation where it’s very difficult to get in, it’s very difficult to get out, it’s very difficult for materials that are necessary to get in or get out and so I think the description is warranted. But we want to see progress and what we have been discussing – and Turkey has, I think, a huge role to play here – is the need to get to direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians, so all of these issues can be settled.

On the issue of Turkish membership of the EU, I mean, of course, I’ve always been very clear about transitional controls for new members of the European Union, but one of the important facts here is that as economies grow and as economies become more equal you find that the pressure and flows between countries isn’t so great – that’s what happened in the case of Spain, in the case of Portugal and will happen as well in the case of other countries. And I’ve been struck here in Turkey by the immense pace of economic growth. I mean 11% in the first quarter of the year makes our very upbeat figures look rather modest, and it is worth recognising that the Turkish economy is likely to outstrip Canada, Spain and Italy by 2025, so in time the issue you raise is actually one that will solve itself.

Prime Minister Erdogan

With regard to Gaza, as my friend has said, all the people there live in a sort of open-air prison. And Gaza is facing attacks, is facing a lot of pressure, and that’s how life goes on there. This has been an area where phosphorous bombs have been used and 1,500 people from many different age groups were killed, 5,000 people were wounded and the infrastructure – the buildings – were all demolished, the UN buildings included. And no one can still enter, the construction materials are not allowed to go through and the fact that this blockade is not lifted is a tragedy, and it is very thought provoking that humanity remains only an observer to this situation.

For example, there was a donors’ conference in Sharm el-Sheikh and $4.5 billion was promised in aid, but since that time there has not been a single leaf moved – nothing has changed, in other words. And the aid groups or convoys coming to Gaza, bringing aid to Gaza, were attacked from the air, from the sea and the flotilla included Members of Parliament from the UK. There were people who were there from the UK, from Turkey, there were people from 33 different countries in that flotilla and the situation, what we saw happen, was taking place in international waters and this attack can only be termed as piracy. There is no other word to describe it.

The pirates in Somalia do this and the world takes its measures, and we have our ships too, and the US and other countries have their ships, to prevent this from happening, but when a similar situation occurs here, then political leaders who are there to establish a fair life for everyone should not remain silent. I hope that we can remedy this situation, Israel turns back from this mistake and they must apologise to Turkey and compensation has to be paid, and the blockade must be lifted so that we can all contribute to regional peace. This is what I think; this is what our people think.

Question

You’ve described this as a ‘golden age’ in relations, but Turkey’s banned YouTube, it’s almost severed ties with Israel and it’s voted against your centrepiece policy on toughening sanctions on Iran. Is it time to be a bit more honest about your differences with Ankara?

And, you had good relations with Tony Blair. Here is another young, dynamic British Prime Minister who likes Turkey, is here in Ankara today. Does David Cameron remind you of Tony Blair? And will you be better friends – or good friends?

Prime Minister

Well, let me answer the English bit. We have a good relationship. We have very many shared interests, as I’ve spoken about – membership of NATO, wanting Turkey in the European Union, wanting to have a deeper economic partnership, crunching through these problems.

Yes, of course, there will be some different perspectives. I mean, on Iran, we both want to see Iran without a nuclear weapon, so we share the same goal and we need to discuss and work together about how best to achieve that goal. Sometimes there will be differences of emphasis, but a good relationship can bear those differences of emphasis and that’s what the discussions are all about.

Likewise on the Middle East peace process. We both want to see those direct talks take place. Turkey has been a good friend of Israel in the past; I very much hope Turkey can go on being a friend of Israel because I think it’s as a friend of Israel that Turkey will maximise her influence over what needs to happen in terms of those direct talks. And I speak as someone who is a friend of Israel, who desperately wants to see a secure and safe and stable Israel after a two-state solution has come about. It’s very important that people remember that Israel will only agree to the final-status issues if it feels that at the end of that process it will have the security that it craves.

And that’s why, on the issue of Gaza, while pushing for that humanitarian access and the end of the blockade, we always have to remember that, you know, there have been rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel. And friends of Israel have to remember that point, but nonetheless we both share the view that direct talks are the right answer. And, where we have differences of emphasis or even differences of view, I think the British-Turkish relationship is quite strong enough to discuss them in a normal way.

As for the second bit of the question, I will just pretend that my earpiece wasn’t working and I’ll leave that to my good friend Tayyip to try and fight his way diplomatically through that one.

Prime Minister Erdogan

First of all, our position with regard to the sanctions was clear because there was an agreement that had been reached, the Tehran Protocol, and there were certain reasons leading up that agreement, the basic reason there being our effort to try to resolve this issue diplomatically. As those of us who play a part in international politics, our aim should be to continue to work with international diplomacy, because this is the best way to achieve peace. As we do that, we always believe in respecting international law and doing what is required of international law. We do not speak of probabilities, because our position is very clear. Our position is that first of all, we are not a country that has a nuclear weapon. We are also against nuclear weapons in our region, no matter who may have them. We do not want to see any nuclear weapons in our region. But if you look at those who speak to this issue, we see that they are those who have nuclear weapons themselves, and they say that even though they have nuclear weapons, they don’t want someone else to have them.

What we ask is whether there are nuclear weapons in Iran now. No, but what is being said is that they can – they may have nuclear weapons. To me, the most important part of the agreement reached in Tehran was first of all that they are a member of the IEA and so is Israel. Iran has also agreed to abide by the NPT rules, but the other party does not. So, there is that issue. Then there is the exchange. The exchange in Turkey was accepted by Iran, but the Vienna group has taken its time in trying to respond to this effort. So, as we try to reach, as we were trying to reach a result, the sanctions came about, and when the sanctions came about, then we as a country which put its signature under that protocol in Tehran – we could not turn against our word. We cannot go against our word – we couldn’t have.

Let me also confirm here that we do not want to see nuclear weapons in our region, and we have always told the Iranians that. Yesterday, or the day before, our foreign minister was with the Brazilian and the Iranian foreign ministers and Iran has made its promise with regard to the three items of discussion, and took steps in that direction. Yesterday, they sent their letter to Vienna. So, these are all things that we achieved through diplomacy. The United States too wishes to see a continuation of the negotiation process, and other countries, including the permanent members too, would like to see a continuation of negotiation talks, and Turkey can be important in carrying out these talks and the bringing together of Ms Ashton and Mr Mottaki and others – those are all important issues that we can continue to work on through diplomatic means.

With respect to the other point, the vote at the UN Security Council and the problems between Turkey and Israel should not be considered as being part of the Turkish-British relations, because there are different aspects to each relationship.

I have a good friendship with Tony – I have always had a good friendship with him, and we developed a close friendship until the moment he left office. Based on the principle of continuity in the work of states and governments, we are initiating, embarking upon, a new process with David from where we have left off, so no difference there, or no problem there at all.

Question

Mr Prime Minister, our British colleagues have asked questions about foreign policy. May I ask questions about domestic policy?

Prime Minister Erdogan

Let’s talk about Turkish-British relations here, and not talk about other domestic issues.

Question

I have a question for Prime Minister Cameron. Turkey, in 2004, 2006, and 2007 has asked from the UK the extradition of PKK terrorists, in total five terrorists, and the UK refused to extradite these terrorists to Turkey. How will you propose to fight against terrorism if you do not extradite them? The apology – the independent inquiry and compensation that Turkey expects from Israel in the aftermath of the flotilla attack – what is your view on those demands by Turkey?

Prime Minister

Firstly, on the PKK. It is a proscribed organisation in the UK, as it is throughout the European Union, and should remain so. It is a criminal offence to belong to it. Each extradition case has to be dealt with on its merits. It is a judicial process – it’s not something I can interfere in, but I want to make sure our intelligence and security services work closely together to defeat terrorism wherever it is. It is worth remembering that Britons have suffered from terrorism not just in our own country, but also here, when the Consulate was blown up in Istanbul. We will continue to work together on those issues.

On the issue of the flotilla, we condemned what happened. It was wrong; it shouldn’t have happened. I made that clear when I spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu. We support the fact there is an enquiry taking place in Israel. We want that to be transparent, and swift, and robust. We are pleased that David Trimble is taking part in it. Also, there is the United Nations process as well, which Ban Ki-moon and I have discussed, where there will be an international body that will also look at this issue, and I think that’s right.

Question

This is a question for Prime Minister Cameron about Cyprus. You said that you agreed that the issue must be settled by the end of this year, but what kind of a role can the UK play in settling the Cyprus problem?

Prime Minister

We can play a role as a country who has a long history of involvement with this issue, and indeed is one of the guarantor nations. I think the role we can play is to try and help bring people together, in terms of whether it is talking to President Christofias, as I was, to actually look at the issue of timing, and how important it is to make progress this year and not put off the issue into the future; or whether it is having conversations, as we have had over the last 24 hours, about the importance of trying to bring together some of the important tracks in terms of property, in terms of territory, to try and go through these issues as rapidly as we can, taking advantage of the fact that the special representative from the United Nations, Alexander Downer – who I think has done a good job, is in place for most of the remainder of this year, and we should take advantage of that.

So, I think it is helping to bring people together and make sure that we make progress where we can. It is important. It remains a great unsolved problem of Europe, and we can’t forever leave it to one side. Also, I want to help Turkey in terms of its membership of the European Union and this is something that stands in the way of that membership, so the faster we can resolve this problem, the faster we can seek to resolve the issue of Turkey’s membership of the European Union.

Prime Minister Erdogan

Thank you very much to the members of the press.

Prime Minister David Cameron has called for a “stronger, wider and deeper” relationship between Britain and India.

Speaking at IT company Infosys in Bangalore this morning, Mr Cameron said India was important for Britain’s economic future and a partnership between the two countries would help to tackle global challenges such as climate change and security.

• Listen to the PM’s speech

The PM has led a delegation of Government ministers and representatives of UK business, industry, sport and culture to India to promote increased trade and investment with the UK.

The PM said:

“India represents an enormous opportunity for British companies. Already our trade relationship is worth £11.5 billion a year. But I want us to go further. India plans to invest $500billion in infrastructure in the coming years. That is of course good for Indian business, but it is also a chance for British companies to generate growth. Your retail market is growing by 25 per cent annually, and there is no reason why British companies should not be part of that too…

“I want this to be a relationship which drives economic growth upwards, and drives our unemployment figures downwards. This is a trade mission, yes, but I prefer to see it as my jobs mission.”

Earlier, the PM met the Governor of Karnataka, the state where Bangalore is located. Tomorrow he is set to meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Following his speech at Infosys, the Prime Minister toured the Hawk facility at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and welcomed the finalisation of a £700 million agreement between BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and HAL which is expected to support more than 200 jobs in the UK.

Read more about the agreement on the UKTI website

Speeches and transcripts: PM’s speech in India

The visit to India follows Mr Cameron’s trip to Turkey, where he held talks with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and spoke of his support for Turkey’s bid to join the European Union.

Previous story: PM backs Turkey’s EU bid

A transcript of a speech given by the Prime Minister in Bangalore, India, on 28 July 2010.

Read the transcript

Prime Minister

Thank you very much for that wonderful introduction. I think there was a politician who once said, ‘Having heard myself being introduced, I can’t wait to hear myself speak.’ I rather feel like that! You are right, I do have an iPad; I won’t reveal exclusively all the things I have on it – they are mostly things that my children like to use.

It is a great honour to be invited here today. If Bangalore is the city that symbolises India’s reawakening, then Infosys has a good claim to be the company that does the same thing. There is an energy and a passion about this place that I have to say I find completely awe-inspiring. This is my third visit to your country; I came once before I was a politician, I came once when I was leader of the opposition, and I now return as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

It is a great privilege to extend to you and through you to the people of India the hand of friendship from all of the British people. I am a new Prime Minister, I lead a new coalition government, and we are making a new start for Britain and its relationships around the world. There are partnerships we want to create, friendships we want to elevate and dialogues we want to extend.

So I come here with a very clear purpose: to show what this new start means for our two countries. I want to take the relationship between India and Britain to the next level. I want to make it stronger, wider, and deeper. To show how serious I am I have brought with me the biggest visiting delegation of any British Prime Minister in recent years. Members of my Cabinet, our most dynamic business leaders, leaders of industry, social entrepreneurs, civic leaders, figures from our most forward-looking arts institutions and museums, sports men and women, and pioneers of community activism.

Today I want to make the case for this relationship, I want to explain why India is so important to Britain’s future and I want to tell Indians watching what Britain has to offer them. I want to set out the common challenges we must meet together in the years ahead. I do all this knowing that this country has the whole world beating a path to your door. I understand that Britain cannot rely on sentiment or on shared history for a place in India’s future, and I hope today and throughout this visit you will see the strength of my commitment and the scale of my ambition for this new relationship.

So why is your country important for Britain’s future? The most obvious reason is economic. There is still a development road to travel, but thanks to the reform process begun by Dr Manmohan Singh in the 1990s, the Indian tiger has been uncaged and its power can be felt around the world. You feel it in the fantastic new airports in Bangalore and Hyderabad, in Mumbai’s Bandra-Worli Sea Link, the Delhi metro, and in Delhi’s stunning new airport terminal.

We can feel that power back home in Britain too. The Tata Group is now the largest manufacturer employer in Britain, and more than 180 Indian companies have invested in our IT sector. At the same time India represents an enormous opportunity for British companies; already our trade relationship is worth £11.5 billion a year, but I want us to go further. India plans to invest $500 billion in infrastructure in the coming years. That is, of course, good for Indian business but it is also a chance for British companies to generate growth.

Your retail market is growing by 25% annually and there is no reason why British companies should not be part of that too. India is adding 15 million new mobile phone users every month. British companies can play an even greater role in providing services to the Indian consumer and creating jobs in India and back in the UK.

So I want this to be a relationship which drives economic growth upwards and drives our unemployment figures downwards. This is a trade mission, yes, but I prefer to see it as my jobs mission. Indian companies employ 90,000 people in the UK and many more jobs in Britain exist thanks to the activities of British companies in India. Now I want to see thousands more jobs created in Britain and, of course, in India through trade in the months and years ahead. That is the core purpose of my visit. At the height of the industrial revolution in the United States, they said, ‘Go west, young man, in order to find opportunity and fortune.’ For today’s investors and entrepreneurs they should go east.

But this country matters to Britain for many reasons beyond your economy too. With over 700 million voters and three million elected representatives at council level, your democracy is a beacon to our world. You have wonderful tradition of democratic secularism; home to dozens of faiths and hundreds of languages, people are free to be Muslim, Hindu or Sikh and to speak Marathi, Punjabi or Tamil. But, at the same time, and without any contradiction, they are all Indian too.

India matters to the world because it is not only a rising power but a responsible power as well. You provide significant support to Afghanistan which we welcome, and your programmes in Nepal and Bhutan are vital. You are a leading provider of peacekeeping troops to the United Nations, and as I saw for myself at the G20 in Canada, your Prime Minister has personally provided great intellectual leadership in economic matters. That is why the time has come for India to take the seat it deserves at the United Nations Security Council.

So these are the reasons why India matters to Britain, but why should Britain matter to India? I believe our two countries are natural partners; Britain is one of the oldest democracies and India is the world’s largest. We have a shared commitment to pluralism and to tolerance; we have deep and close connections amongst our people, with nearly two million people of Indian origin living in the UK. They make an enormous contribution to our country – way out of proportion to their size – in business, in the arts, in sport.

India and Britain also share so much culturally; whether it’s watching Shari Kahn, eating the same food, speaking the same language, and of course watching the same sport. Many of you in this room will have grown up revering and watching Kapil Dev; I did the same in Britain watching Ian Botham. And Sachin Tendulkar, the Little Master, is so talented that wherever you are from, you cannot help but admire as he hits another century. Indeed, culture is so important to our relationship that it is going to be a significant part of what I talk to Prime Minister Singh about tomorrow.

There are huge attractions to Britain as this century progresses; Britain, yes, still has the strengths of our history, not least our democracy, our rule of law, our strong institutions and our global language. But there is also the modern dynamism of the nation that helped pioneer the internet, that helped unravel DNA, and whose music, films and television are admired the world over.

We are also in the time zone that lets you talk to Asia in the morning and America in the evening. We are still the world’s sixth largest manufacturer and the best base for companies wanting to do business in Europe. We have some of the best universities in the world and we are a great hub for science and for innovation.

That is why so much of what we are announcing on this trip I believe is so exciting. UK and India research funders have committed up to £60 million worth of jointly funded research into climate change, water and food security, and disease prevention. British and Indian scientists will collaborate on £2 million worth of research that will help nuclear power stations in our countries to be safer, more efficient and produce less waste, and the Welcome Trust has announced £45 million of research with the Indian Department of Biotechnology on affordable healthcare.

It is for all of these reasons that I believe it makes sense for both of us to elevate our relationship to new heights. But this isn’t just about Britain and India; this is a relationship that can benefit the world. The way I see it, there are three major global challenges that we have a duty to meet together, challenges that should shape our relationship.

The first is economic. In the past couple of years, we have seen nothing less than global economic carnage: collapsed banks, massive government deficits, huge unemployment lines, tumbling currencies, trade dented, businesses lost, livelihoods destroyed. In Britain, we suffered our longest and deepest recession since the Second World War and are now trying to get to grips with our highest-ever peacetime deficit. In India, exports fell, capital left the country, and growth slowed.

So as we emerge from this crisis, we both have to ask ourselves: how can we continue to spread economic opportunity for all our people? We come at this from different angles. The Indian story is well-known. There is still a huge challenge but on any measure India is on its way, a rising economic power. On any measure, India is on an upward trajectory. We in Britain are determined to work even harder to earn our living: attracting more foreign investment to our shores, making more things for the world again, selling ourselves to the world with more vigour than ever. I’m not ashamed to say that’s one of the reasons why I’m here today.

So let me set out what I believe should be our common strategy for economic growth. Our strategy must begin with making our economies as open as possible. Within 50 days of coming into power, our new coalition government introduced an emergency budget. Its aim was explicit – to show Britain was open for business. And its methods were equally clear – cutting red tape, reducing corporation tax rates, and, crucially, improving our infrastructure. Both India and Britain are in the same boat here. We both need to update and modernise our infrastructure.

So I’m delighted that Vince Cable, our Business Secretary, has signalled that we will have much closer cooperation on infrastructure in the years ahead, sharing knowledge and expertise on transport and energy. These changes are about making our countries the best places in the world to business, and it’s in that context that we should encourage more investment by Indian companies in Britain and vice versa. Both of us already benefit. JCB, BAE, Cairn, Standard Chartered, Mott McDonald, Wipro, Religare, HCL, Infosys – these are just some of the companies who do business across our countries.

But I want to see more Indians setting up in Britain and more Brits setting up here. There are some important things we can do straight away, and I’m going to be discussing them with Prime Minister Singh tomorrow. Science and Innovation Scholarships, sponsored by Rolls Royce. Extending the successful UK-India Education and Research Initiative. Encouraging the twinning of our top universities with the 14 new Innovation universities India plans to create.

Education is not just vital for national success; it is one of the best growth businesses of the 21st century. I want us in Britain and India to pool some of our advantages for our mutual benefit. And will that mean that more Indian students will want to trade with Britain, set up businesses in Britain, partner with Britain? I certainly hope so. But the real prize will come when we take some difficult decisions. There are no two ways about this: we’ve got to take on the vested interests and open up. We in Britain have welcomed your expertise in cars and in steel production. But we want you to reduce the barriers to foreign investment in banking, insurance, defence manufacturing and legal services so that we can both reap the benefits.

More investment in each others’ economies will be a vital boost to both our countries, but so too will trade. Again, on trade there are some relatively simple steps we can take, like streamlining customs red tape to save time and money, and we’re committed to it. Other things will take more time and effort, but are absolutely crucial. EU-India trade is worth £50 billion a year, but the possibility is there for dramatic expansion and I believe we should seize it. I’m determined that we conclude an EU and India Free Trade Agreement before the end of this year. And it’s time to hammer out a global deal on world trade. Agree on Doha, and do you know how much we would add to the world economy? $170 billion.

So what’s holding us back? I would like us to complete the Doha Development Round as it is. Let’s be clear: right now, negotiations are not moving. So those of us who want passionately to see progress must now make the case for trade at the tops of our voices.

One way that I believe we can do so is by establishing a high-level group of the best minds and strongest advocates for trade to point the way forward, including at the next G20 summit. I believe we will all need to show greater ambition. We need to make the deal bigger in order to make progress. In the meantime we must make changes where we can. Trade facilitation – improving our ports, processes and customs – simple things but they can clear the way to much greater economic growth and we do not have to wait for Doha to do that. If we do these things, we will take such a giant leap towards meeting the economic challenge of our age.

The second challenge we must meet together is ensuring global security. Five years ago, 52 people were killed on the tube and on a bus in London. And in November 2008, we watched in horror as terrorists went on the rampage in Mumbai, killing scores of Indians and three British nationals. As you know, we worked with your government in the investigation into these events. We remain determined that those responsible must be brought to justice. And I am here today to propose an even closer security relationship between India and Britain. The terrorists we face are adept at crossing borders, communicating globally, and concocting the most abhorrent plans to destroy our way of life. It’s only by increasing the ties between us that we can defeat them.

So I want us to broaden our counterterrorism partnership, including looking at new areas such as cyber security and the financing of terrorism. This year, Delhi hosts the Commonwealth Games. In two years, London hosts the Olympic Games. It makes sense that we work together to make sure both are as safe and successful as possible through close cooperation with the Delhi police and the London Metropolitan police.

And I want us to go further in expanding our security cooperation. When it comes to defence technology, India and Britain have a lot to offer each other in terms of sharing expertise. And we have a proven track record of being prepared to share it, as with the building of Jaguar and Hawk aircraft in this city in recent decades. I want to see more and I’m going to be visiting HAL next to talk about what more we can do in this crucial sector.

Of course, when it comes to protecting our people, we cannot overlook what is happening in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Let me state clearly: your relations with those two countries are a matter for you and you alone. But let me also say we, like you, want a Pakistan that is stable, democratic and free from terror. We, like you, want an Afghanistan that is secure, free from interference from its neighbours and not a threat to our security. We, like you, are determined that groups like the Taliban, the Haqqani network or Lakshar e Taiba should not be allowed to launch attacks on Indian and British citizens in India or in Britain. Neither should they be able to do so against our people, whether soldiers or civilians, from both our countries who are working for peace in Afghanistan. Our interests are your interests, so let us work together to realise them.

The third challenge we must meet, and we must meet it together, is tackling climate change. Fail to act now and we are looking down the barrel of catastrophic floods, intense heat waves and droughts. Physical geography will start to dictate human geography, climate change exacerbating waves of migration, of poverty, and of hunger. In fact, nowhere are the risks from climate change more apparent than here in India – with over half a billion people on the Ganges Plain and much more of your agriculture dependent on water from the Himalayas and a reliable monsoon. So the time for decisive action is long overdue.

The United Kingdom has already reduced carbon emissions by more than 20% from 1990 levels, and our new government has been taking radical steps to de-carbonise and build a greener economy. But unilateral action can only take us so far. Climate change does not respect borders: what is sown in one part of the world is reaped the world over. That’s why we need global action, with all the major economies playing their part. That has to start at government level.

Getting an international agreement on climate change is now a matter of urgency. I know this poses difficult questions, not least questions of what is fair. It’s only fair that those with the longest history of carbon emissions play the biggest part. But it does have to be a global effort. So as we look towards Cancun, let’s sit down and thrash out what a global agreement on climate change could look like.

As well as that, I want to see the UK and India working at a business and research level too. I am convinced that in no time at all, we will see new cars that are really fuel efficient, new sources of energy that are affordable, new products that will change the way we live. These will not only help protect our planet, but they will bring with them jobs, investment and money. The question is: who’s going to make them? Why not us? Already British and Indian companies are building solar panels right here in Bangalore. And Indian manufacturers are working on the next generation of electric cars in Britain. But we must go further.

Tomorrow I’m going to be talking to Prime Minister Singh about how we can work together to develop and deploy new and renewable energy sources, in particular to reach some of India’s poorest communities. If we get this right, it will be a triple win: clean energy, electricity brought to poorest people, new jobs and growth. And it’s precisely the sort of cooperation we need as we move forward in this relationship.

By forging business links together, by tackling threats to our security together and by taking on the challenge of climate change together we can raise our relationship to new heights. But if that relationship is made only by diplomats, politicians and entrepreneurs, it will not last. A relationship with genuine meaning will be one that brings together people from every line of work and every walk of life: teachers, doctors, nurses, people from rural areas and city dwellers, young and old, men and women, rich and poor. We’re living in an age when a deeper friendship between our countrymen and women is not only desirable but is actually possible. The internet tears down the barriers that keep people apart, and there is the common currency of culture we enjoy the world over.

To my mind globalisation should be about more than the trade of goods and services; it must be about the trading of experiences and stories between friends on opposite sides of the world and our countries can set the example. That’s why today we are launching a new network to bring together the next generation of British and Indian leaders. There will be politicians – they always seem to turn up everywhere, yes – but there will be entrepreneurs, scientists, people in the media and dynamic young people from both our countries, brought together to find solutions to the challenges we face. I hope that by the time of the next UK-India summit they will be coming back to us buzzing with ideas and inspiration which both government and the private sector can act on.

But above all, I hope this builds the human relationships that will sustain the relationship between our countries. Everything I have spoken about today – an enhanced relationship and a shared determination to take on these challenges that confront us – these are not borne from sentiment. I’m a practical politician. I believe when the problems are serious, we should tackle them. When the answer is obvious, we should do it. That is why I’m here.

The problems are serious: economic crisis, global insecurity, climate change. And the answer is obvious: India and Britain coming together. Indira Gandhi once said that her grandfather told her this. ‘There are two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. Be in the first group; there’s much less competition.’ The truth is this: we cannot leave our prosperity, our security and the future of our planet to chance. We must be the ones to act and we must act together. Together Britain and India can do the work that is needed. Together our partnership can benefit the world. So together, let us build this new relationship that can meet the scale of our great ambitions together. Thank you.

Thank you very much. We have got some time for questions.

Question

Good afternoon, sir. I am a student from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, and I also have my own company in the clean-energy site. I just wanted to ask you: it’s really fantastic to see that the UK is promoting so much, but what I have been seeing is that there is very little which is coming from the UK to India, or from India to the UK. In India there is a maximum potential for climate-change reduction, so it does not make sense to have technology somewhere else and the need somewhere else. So, how do you plan to address that?

Prime Minister

It’s a very good question, and it’s one of the reasons why I brought my Energy and Climate Change Minister, Greg Barker, to India with me, and he is looking at signing an agreement with the Indian government about how, as I was just saying, we can look at renewable energy technologies that we can develop together and work in our two countries to solve this problem. In Britain, we do have one big advantage that we hope to take and then share with others, which is the technology of carbon capture and storage. We still have coal reserves, we have coal-fired power stations, and we have the North Sea, where depleted oil and gas fields are the perfect place to store the sequestered carbon dioxide.

So, we believe we can have a technology leadership on this, developed through some of our best universities like Edinburgh and East Anglia, that are doing incredible work on carbon capture and storage. That’s the sort of technology we can then share, and export and invest with other countries. The specific thing Greg and his team are looking at now are renewable energies that can be off the electricity grid – small scale hydro, wind power, wave power, also solar power – that can enable communities to take more control of their own lives without necessarily being connected up to the grid. The modern energy technologies enable us to do this on a small scale rather than just thinking of the big scale energy projects of the past. So, if you’re disappointed now there isn’t more collaboration, one of the reasons for being here is to make sure that it happens in the future.

Question

Mr Prime Minister, can I ask you about your position on outsourcing of government technology work to India? We hear that some of the contracts that have been signed by the previous government have been re-looked at.

Prime Minister

In terms of the theory of outsourcing contracts, I think you will find Britain one of the most open, globalised economies that is prepared to look at outsourcing and ownership right across the world. If you look at other European economies, I think you would be hard pressed to find another economy that is happy to welcome so many overseas companies to come and invest in businesses or provide services in the UK. That I think applies in government outsourcing as it does elsewhere. Of course, an incoming government has to look at every contract in terms of cost and value for money, and we have a huge budget deficit. One of the biggest tasks of my government is to make sure that we can live within our means again.

So yes, we are reviewing contracts, and we are looking at what we pay for the services that we receive. Just like any business, if you take over at a time when costs are running high and revenues are running low, you’ve got to get the costs down and you’ve got to get the revenues up. That’s why we are cutting costs at home, and that’s why we are here in India promoting business and investment. In terms of being open to outsourcing, to working with companies like Infosys, you’ll find Britain one of the most open and progressive countries there is.

Question

You said Pakistan is going to be an important discussion that you are going to have with the Prime Minister of India, but the kind of leakage of funds that the US and the UK have been giving to Pakistan in the last couple of years has now exposed that we need to rethink the strategy with Pakistan. Is that going to be a discussion that you will be having with the Prime Minister as well?

Prime Minister

That is absolutely a discussion that I will have with Dr Manmohan Singh, and it is also a discussion I had last week with President Obama, and also had meetings in the Pentagon to discuss this point, which is that we should be very clear with Pakistan that we want to see a strong and a stable and a democratic Pakistan, but we cannot tolerate in any sense the idea that this country is allowed to look both ways and is able in any way to promote the export of terror, whether to India or whether to Afghanistan, or anywhere else in the world. That’s why this relationship is important, but it should be a relationship based on a very clear message that it is not right, as I said in my speech, to have any relationship with groups that are promoting terror. Democratic states that want to be part of the developed world cannot do that, and the message to Pakistan from the US and from the UK is very clear on that point.

Can I thank you all very much for coming, and can I thank Infosys again for hosting me at this wonderful venue. The visit to this business just brings home to me in a very clear way the enormous opportunities there are for British-Indian business cooperation. I think also it is a great business to come to, because if anybody thinks that somehow the Indian economy is just about large call centres, or projects like that, to come here and see the extent and brilliance of your technology and your expertise shows what a thoroughly modern partnership I believe that our businesses and our countries can have. I see this as rather like at the end of Casablanca: I hope this is the start of a beautiful relationship. Thank you very much indeed.

Briefing by the Prime Minister’s Spokesman on: constitutional reform

Constitutional reform

Asked what the Prime Minister thought about the Shadow Justice Secretary’s proposal to split the issues of voting reform and constituency boundaries into two separate bills, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) said that the bills had been published in the House and it was now up to members to debate.

Asked if the Prime Minister was optimistic about the vote going his way, the PMS said that the Prime Minister had set out his position clearly on the AV vote, which he talked about this morning during a radio interview. There was obviously a difference of opinion between the two sides of the coalition, but they had set out a compromised position in the coalition agreement.

Asked what the logic was behind voting on the two issues of AV and constituency boundaries together, the PMS said it was about dealing with constitutional reform as a whole.

Briefing by the Prime Minister’s Spokesman on: Israel, immigration, Sheffield Forgemasters, European Investigation Order and recess

Israel

Asked if the Prime Minister had any response to Ron Prosor, the Israeli ambassador to London, who blamed the Palestinians’ situation on Hamas, the Prime Minister’s Spokeswoman (PMS) said that the Prime Minister had been clear in the press conference this morning about his long-held views on Gaza, and the need for progress in the Middle East peace process. The Prime Minister said this morning that we had long supported lifting a blockade of Gaza and we had long supported proper humanitarian access. Even though some progess had been made we were still in the situation where it was very difficult to get in.

Asked if there would be any contact between the UK and Israel to clarify the Prime Minister’s comments, the PMS said that the Prime Minister had made a similar comment in the House of Commons in June; it was a difficult situation and we needed the Palestinians and Israelis to start talking.

Asked if the Prime Minister thought his comments today would speed up discussions, the PMS said that the Prime Minister had spoken to both Prime Minister Netanyahu and to President Abbas last Friday.

Immigration

Asked if the Prime Minister agreed with the Business Secretary that our immigration policy needed to be as liberal as possible, the PMS said that the Business Secretary’s views did not differ from other remarks by government Ministers; there was a balance to be stuck. We needed to address the concerns of the British people about immigration controls – the Home Secretary had already taken action on this by introducing an interim limit, and there was a consultation ongoing. At the same time we wanted to encourage economic growth and attract the brightest and the best to come and work and study here, which would help us grow our own economy.

Asked if the Prime Minister planned to have the most liberal immigration policy possible, the PMS said that we wanted to ensure that our economy grew and that the immigration policy allowed that, however we wanted to ensure that we reduced immigration as a whole from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands.

Sheffield Forgemasters

Asked why it had been left to the Business Secretary to correct the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister’s remarks on Sheffield Forgemasters, the PMS said that the Business Secretary wanted to put on the record what decisions were made and why decisions were made. He was the Business Secretary and as such you would expect him to do so.

European Investigation Order

Asked if the decision to opt in to the European Investigation Order would put extra strain on the police, the PMS said no. The Association for Chief Police Officers (ACPO) was consulted and nobody wanted to opt out. The message that came back from ACPO was that opting in would make it simpler for police to work with our European colleagues in fighting crime.

Asked how we could be certain that powers of sovereignty wouldn’t be affected, the PMS said that this directive would not affect sovereignty; this was a practical move that would make things simpler for the police force here. It meant that people from the EU who committed crimes here could be followed up when they returned home, and vice versa. It also meant that Britons who committed offences in other European countries could be tried here. It simplified the system and made it a lot easier for the police, which was why the Home Secretary made the decision today to opt in.

Recess

Asked if the Prime Minister was grateful for the Deputy Prime Minister’s offer to hold the fort over the summer, the PMS said that the Prime Minister was in charge, but he clearly had a deputy who took on duties for him.

Briefing by the Prime Minister’s Spokesman on: Turkey, European Investigation Order, AV referendum and BP

Turkey

Asked if the Prime Minister was canvassing for Turkey to join the EU, the Prime Minister’s Spokeswoman (PMS) said that the Prime Minister had said during his speech this morning that he would remain Turkey’s strongest possible advocate for EU Membership and for greater influence at the top table of European diplomacy.

Asked if the Prime Minister mentioned immigration controls in his speech, the PMS said that the Prime Minister did not make direct reference to immigration controls, but clearly there were concerns about this and changes needed to be made. We wanted to ensure that the brightest and the best people who wanted to work and study in Britain were able to do so.

Asked if the Prime Minister agreed with the Business Secretary that immigration policy should be as liberal as possible, the PMS said that the Home Secretary had made our position very clear; we wanted to reduce immigration from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands, and the system needed overhauling. We needed to ensure that people didn’t abuse the system and those who wanted to come and work and study here were able to do so.

Asked if there would be specific transitional arrangements regarding immigration if Turkey joined the EU, the PMS said that we were not going to speculate on what future policies there may or may not be, but of course it could be a possibility.

European Investigation Order

Asked about the European Investigation Order announcement later today, the PMS said that the Home Secretary was considering whether to opt in or opt out of the directive and would make a statement this afternoon. We would not pre-empt the statement.

AV referendum

Asked if the Prime Minister was concerned by the fact that more than 40 MPs had signed a Commons motion protesting at plans to hold a referendum on voting reform on the same day as key elections in Scotland and Wales, the PMS said that it was not for her to comment on the political aspects of this, but the government had made its position clear regarding electoral reform; the programme was an ambitious one and the two constitutional reform bills were being debated by MPs at the moment.

BP

Asked what the Prime Minister thought about the change at the head of BP, the PMS said that it was a commercial decision for the company.

Asked what the Prime Minister thought about the record losses reported by BP today, the PMS said that BP was an important company both to the UK and US economies. The Energy Secretary had said today that BP remained a strong and stable company.

Prime Minister David Cameron has said he will fight for Turkey to become a member of the European Union as he addressed business leaders in the country’s capital Ankara.

The PM said Turkey’s economic rise was an opportunity for other EU states, not a threat, and also highlighted the nation’s contribution to the NATO effort in Afghanistan.

Mr Cameron said he wanted to establish a new partnership between Britain and Turkey because it was “vital” for the UK economy, security and politics.

The PM said:

“When I think about what Turkey has done to defend Europe as a NATO ally, and what Turkey is doing today in Afghanistan alongside our European allies, it makes me angry that your progress towards EU Membership can be frustrated in the way that it has been. My view is clear. I believe it’s just wrong to say that Turkey can guard the camp but not be allowed to sit in the tent.

“So I will remain your strongest possible advocate for EU membership and for greater influence at the top table of European diplomacy. This is something I feel very strongly, very passionately about. Together, I want us to pave the road from Ankara to Brussels.”

Mr Cameron added that Turkey could be a “unifier” because of its links to both East and West and called on the country’s government to “push forward aggressively” with the EU reforms it is already making to help its bid for membership.

Later, the PM met Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for talks and signed a new Strategic Partnership document setting out how the two Governments will intensify relations in a range of areas, including trade, defence, and culture.

• Listen to the joint press conference

Earlier, Mr Cameron laid a wreath at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern secular Turkey.

The visit to Turkey is only Mr Cameron’s fifth bilateral overseas visit since becoming Prime Minister, following trips to France, Germany, Afghanistan and last week’s visit to the US.

Listen to the speech

Speeches and transcripts: PM’s speech in Turkey

Speeches and transcripts: Press conference with Turkish PM

Previous story: UK-US relationship “essential” for security and prosperity – PM

The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of Ms Catherine Hardman and Mr Thomas Lloyd as Commissioners of the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales for a term of five years from 1 May 2010.

Biographical details

Ms Catherine Hardman

Ms Hardman has a Masters degree in Archaeology and a Masters degree in Archaeological Heritage Management. She works in the Archaeology Department at the University of York as a senior manager in the Archaeological Data Service. She has worked there since 2001 and has valuable experience in digital archive management, which is a key area for the Royal Commission’s work.

Mr Thomas Lloyd

Mr Lloyd has a degree in Classics and Law. He practiced as a solicitor from 1976 until 1989. From 1987 until 1990 he was a Director and Company Secretary of the Golden Grove Book Company. He was a very high degree of expertise in architectural history generally and considerable expertise in Welsh architecture and Welsh country houses in particular, and has written and co-written several books on architectural history. He served as a member and chairperson on the Historic Buildings Council for Wales, a board member of the Welsh Tourist Board and the Architectural Heritage Fund, London. He has also been a member or chair of numerous voluntary bodies, including the British Historic Buildings Trust, Buildings at Risk Trust, the Cambrian Archaeological Society and the Pembrokeshire History Trust. He has sound experience of governance.

A transcript of a speech given by Prime Minister David Cameron in Ankara, Turkey, on 27 July 2010.

Read the transcript

Prime Minister:

Thank you, Mr President, and thank you for that very warm welcome. I can tell from your enthusiasm and the enthusiasm of the entrepreneurs that I met outside this incredible building that there is an enormous spirit of enterprise and entrepreneurialism and industry and business and trade here in Turkey, and that is one of the reasons that I want our two countries to build this incredibly strong relationship that I will be speaking about this morning.

I have come to Ankara to establish a new partnership between Britain and Turkey. I think this is a vital strategic relationship for our country. As Prime Minister, I first visited our two largest European Union partners, then Afghanistan, then North America and now, I come to Turkey. People ask me, ‘Why Turkey?’ and, ‘Why so soon?’ Well, I can tell you why: because Turkey is vital for our economy, vital for our security and vital for our politics and our diplomacy.

Let me explain. First, our economy.

Over 400 years ago England’s first official diplomatic representative arrived in Istanbul. William Harborne came bearing gifts from Queen Elizabeth. As a nation, we sought the opportunity for our merchants to trade. More than 400 years on, I follow him to Turkey at least in part for the same reason.

I ask myself this: which European country grew at 11% at the start of this year? Which European country will be the second fastest growing economy in the world by 2017? Which country in Europe has more young people than any of the 27 countries of the European Union? Which country in Europe is our number one manufacturer of televisions and second only to China in the world in construction and in contracting? Tabii ki Türkiye.

Everyone is talking about the BRICs, the fast-growing emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China. Turkey is Europe’s BRIC, and yet in Britain we export more to Ireland than we export to Brazil, Russia, India, China and Turkey all combined. With no disrespect to our partners and friends in Ireland, we have to change that. That is the first reason I am here today and it is why I have chosen to come to TOBB, right in the heart of the Turkish business community.

The second reason for coming to Turkey is security.

Turkey is a great NATO ally and Turkey shares our determination to fight terrorism in all its forms, whether from al-Qaeda or from the PKK. Yesterday we had yet another reminder of the human price that Turkey pays in facing up to terrorism. As a friend who has also suffered from terrorism, including right here in this country, we stand with you and we will do all we can to help ensure that democracy and the rule of law always win against terror.

You are not just a great ally; the fact is that Turkey’s unique position at the meeting point of East and West gives you an unrivalled influence in helping us to get to grips with some of the greatest threats to our collective security.

I ask myself this: which country, with its commitment to the international effort in Afghanistan, sends a message to the world that this is a fight not against Muslims but against terrorism? Which Muslim majority country has a long established relationship with Israel while at the same time championing the rights of Palestine? Which European country could have the greatest possible chance of persuading Iran to change its course on nuclear policy? Tabii ki Türkiye.

Whether in Afghanistan or in the Middle East, Turkey has a credibility that others in the West just cannot hope to have. So I have come here today to make the case for Turkey to use this credibility, to go further in enhancing our security and working for peace across our world.

The third reason I am here is political.

I am here to make the case for Turkey’s membership of the European Union and to fight for it. Do you know who said this? ‘Here is a country which is not European, its history, its geography, its economy, its agriculture and the character of its people – admirable people though they are – all point in a different direction. This is a country which cannot, despite what it claims and perhaps even what it believes, be a full member.’

Now, that might sound like some Europeans describing Turkey. Actually it was General de Gaulle describing the United Kingdom, my country, before vetoing our accession to the European Union. So we know what it is like to be shut out of the club, but we also know that these things can change.

When I think about what Turkey has done to defend Europe as a NATO ally and what Turkey is doing today in Afghanistan alongside our European allies, it makes me angry that your progress towards EU membership can be frustrated in the way that it has been. My view is clear: I believe it is just wrong to say that Turkey can guard the camp but not be allowed to sit in the tent.

I will remain your strongest possible advocate for EU membership and for greater influence at the top table of European diplomacy. This is something I feel very strongly and very passionately about. Together I want us to pave the road from Ankara to Brussels.

To make the case for Turkey’s membership of the EU and to seize the huge advances I believe that we can make in our trade and in our security, there are three groups that we have to take on directly.

First, there are the protectionists. They see the rise of a country like Turkey as an economic threat we must defend against, not as an opportunity to further our prosperity.

Second, there are the polarised. They see the history of the world through the prism of a clash of civilisations. They think that Turkey has to choose between East and West and that choosing both is just not an option.

Third, there is the prejudiced, those who wilfully misunderstand Islam. They see no difference between real Islam and the distorted version peddled by the extremists. They think the problem is Islam itself and they think the values of Islam can just never be compatible with the values of other religions, societies or cultures.

All these arguments are just plain wrong, and as a new Government in Britain, I want us to be at the forefront of the international effort to defeat these arguments and I want to take each one in turn.

First, the protectionists.

Every generation has to make the argument for free trade all over again and this generation will be no different. As we build our economic relationship there are some who fear the growth of a country like Turkey, who want to retreat and cut themselves off from the rest of the world. They just don’t get it. They seem to think that trade is a sort of zero-sum game. They talk about it quite literally as if one country’s success is another country’s failure. That if our exports grow, then someone else’s must shrink. That somehow if we import low-cost goods – including from Turkey – that we are failing. As if all the benefits of Turkey’s exports go to Turkey alone when actually we benefit too from choice, from competition, from low prices in our shops. The whole point about trade is that everyone can benefit from it.

So let me tell you what we are going to do to beat the protectionists. We are going to work harder than ever before to break down those barriers to trade that still exist, to cut the global red tape, like by streamlining customs bureaucracy and to work towards completing the trade round that could add $170 billion to the world economy. Prime Minister Erdogan and I were discussing this last night, how we can push forward at the G20 this autumn and we’re going to do everything we can to re-open Britain for business.

Two hundred years on from William Harborne, the first resident Turkish Ambassador arrived in London. One of his team wrote the first Turkish account of life in Britain. He said quite simply, ‘British weather is disagreeable.’ I’m not sure much has changed on that front, and I certainly can’t change the weather, but I can do a lot to change the climate for trade and investment in Britain. That’s why we are cutting corporation tax to 24%, the lowest in the G7. We’re creating the most competitive corporate tax regime in the G20. And we are cutting the time it takes to set up a business.

We are welcoming new business to Britain. And we are delighted that so many Turkish people are visiting, studying, and doing business so successfully in the United Kingdom. And we are encouraging British business to be more ambitious in developing new markets, as Turkish businesses have done. Vodafone, Tesco and HSBC are just three of the big British investments already in Turkey. I want to see many, many more.

Today the value of our trade is over $9 billion a year. I want us to double this over the next five years. We cannot let the protectionists win the argument. The truth is that trade is the biggest wealth creator we have ever known. And when we talk about stimulus it is trade and a trade deal that can give the biggest stimulus to our economies right now.

Second, let me turn to the next group of objectors, the polarised.

They see the history of our world as a clash of civilisations, as a choice between East and West. They just don’t get the fact that Turkey can be a great unifier, because instead of choosing between East and West, Turkey has chosen both. And it’s this opportunity to unite East and West that gives Turkey such an important role with countries in the region in helping us to deliver improved security for all of us.

This matters most of all in Afghanistan. Turkey provides a vital transport hub for equipment heading to Afghanistan for the fight against the Taliban. But it also has a unique influence in promoting the regional, political and economic cooperation that is so crucial to Afghanistan’s stability and security. For international forces to leave we need to know that the Afghans can take control of their own security. That means the development of the Afghan National Security Forces is absolutely vital. And I welcome Turkey’s plans to do even more military and police training.

Just as Turkey is playing a pivotal role in Afghanistan, it can also do so in the Middle East. Turkey’s relationships in the region, both with Israel and the Arab world, are of incalculable value. No other country has the same potential to build understanding between Israel and the Arab world. I know that Gaza has led to real strains in Turkey’s relationship with Israel, but Turkey is a friend of Israel, and I urge Turkey, and Israel, not to give up on that friendship.

Let me be clear: the Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla was completely unacceptable. And I have told Prime Minister Netanyahu we will expect the Israeli inquiry to be swift, transparent and rigorous. Let me also be clear that the situation in Gaza has to change. Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp.

But as, hopefully, we move in the coming weeks to direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians so it is Turkey that can make the case for peace and Turkey that can help press the parties to come together and point the way to a just and viable solution.

And, just as we look to Turkey to play this role in the Middle East, so it is Turkey that can help us to stop Iran from getting the bomb. Let us be frank about this: Iran is enriching uranium to 20% with no industrial logic for what they are doing other than producing a bomb. If Iran’s nuclear programme is peaceful, why won’t Iran allow the IAEA to inspect? Why does Iran continue to seek to acquire military components? And why does Iran continue to threaten Israel with annihilation?

Even if Iran were to complete the deal proposed in their recent agreement with Turkey and Brazil, it would still retain around 50% of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium. So we need Turkey’s help now in making it clear to Iran just how serious we are about engaging fully with the international community.

We hope that the meeting held in Istanbul between the Turkish, Brazilian and Iranian Foreign Ministers will see Iran move in the right direction. The new sanctions that the EU announced yesterday are designed to persuade Iran to give the international community confidence that its nuclear programme really is peaceful, as Iran insists.

I also encourage Turkey to maintain its efforts to achieve the ambition of zero problems with all its neighbours, including Iraq. And I welcome the important work that Turkey has done in recent months to improve regional cooperation in the Western Balkans. Again, it is your unique relationships and influence in the region which can play such a vital role in helping to bring about progress and reconciliation.

But all of this – all of this – hinges on people breaking away from the polarised view of a false choice between East and West. With Turkey it is not East or West, it is East and West together. And we very much welcome that combination.

Third, let me turn to the prejudiced – those who don’t differentiate between real Islam and the extremist version.

They don’t understand the values that Islam shares with other religions like Christianity and Judaism that all of these are inherently peaceful religions. Nor do they understand that Turkey is a peaceful country, with a long history of religious tolerance.

I will always argue that the values of real Islam are not incompatible with the values of Europe, that Europe is defined not by religion, but by values. The EU is a secular organisation. And Europe welcomes people of all faiths, or none. Likewise, Turkey is a secular and democratic state. This is all the more reason to make Turkey feel welcome in Europe.

I know Turkey has already made significant reforms in just the last few years. The bans on teaching and broadcasting of Kurdish – scrapped. A new state Kurdish television station – now up and running. The death penalty – scrapped. The penal code – reformed. Democratic institutions – strengthened. These are significant changes. And they should be recognised.

In encouraging you to go further, I’m not asking you to be a different country, to abandon your values, your traditions or your culture. We want you to be Turkey – because it is as Turkey that you can play the unique role I have described in building greater security and greater prosperity for all our citizens.

But we want you to push forwards aggressively with the EU reforms you’re making. We want you to take the necessary measures to open up the competition chapter as the next step in the accession process. Because just as countries draw great strength from the openness of their societies, so Europe will draw fresh vigour and purpose from a Turkey that embraces human rights and democracy.

And we want you to continue to work towards a solution in Cyprus, despite our disappointment that a huge effort six years ago was unsuccessful. We will work with you in every way we can as you do this. Of course we won’t always agree on everything, but our common objective is to convince the doubters – whether they are the protectionists, the polarised or the prejudiced – that the case for Turkish membership of the European Union is indisputable, just as I already believe it is.

So this is how I see it. The protectionists are wrong. All the countries that increase their trade with Turkey will be winners. The losers will be those that don’t. The polarised are wrong. Turkey doesn’t have to choose between East and West. It’s precisely because you have chosen both that you have such an opportunity to enhance security for us all. The prejudiced are wrong. The problem is not Islam, but the wrong assumptions the prejudiced make about Islam. And a European Union without Turkey is not stronger but weaker, not more secure but less secure, not richer but poorer.

The strategic partnership that I am signing today with Prime Minister Erdogan sets out our ambitions for a modern partnership between Britain and Turkey. Central to this partnership is the conviction that Turkey deserves its place at the top table of European politics, and that is what I will fight for.

To the doubters – I would just ask this: more than any other country, which European country’s growth could drive growth for us all? More than any other, which country’s influence over security in the Middle East could help us to tackle the causes of terrorism and bring greater security for all of us? More than any other, which country’s accession to the EU could make a stronger EU with greater global influence for us all? And the answer I simply give is this: Tabii ki Türkiye. Çok Tesekkür ederim. Thank you very much.

The Queen has been graciously pleased to approve the following awards of The Queen’s Gallantry Medal and, for publication in The London Gazette the names of the persons shown below as having received an expression of Commendation for Bravery.

The Queen’s Gallantry Medal

Crew Commander Gavin Miller

Firefighter Dean Seaward

Queen’s Commendation for Bravery

Sergeant Torquil Campbell

PC Stewart William Ferguson

Stephen William Clarkson

Christopher Davey

Sean Foxcroft (deceased)

Michael Kerr

Henry Lambie

Michael Joseph McDonald

Alexander McIlveen

Further information about the Awards can be obtained as follows:

MILLER – Press Office, DHSSPSNI (Tel: 02890 522841)

SEAWARD – Help desk, Department for Communities and Local Government (Tel: 0303 444 1201)

CAMPBELL, FERGUSON, CLARKSON, KERR, LAMBIE, McDONALD and McILVEEN – Press Office, Scottish Government (Tel: Aileen Easton 0131 244 2056)

DAVEY and FOXCROFT – Press Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Tel: 020 7008 3100)

Queen’s Gallantry Medal

Gavin John MILLER

For rescuing a fire fighting colleague from a burning building

This case relates to an incident on 1 November 2003.  Gavin Miller was a member of a breathing apparatus team who attended a fire in a storeroom at a hotel.  Whilst tackling the blaze, a fireman fell through the roof of the storeroom into the flames below.  Despite the intense heat Crew Commander Miller went back into the storeroom again to rescue his colleague.  The room was by now a fireball with temperatures more than 1,000C.   Despite the pain from the intense heat he managed to reach his colleague and started to drag him to safety.  He was eventually helped by two other colleagues in making the rescue and when he emerged from the storeroom he had to be doused in water to extinguish the flames.  Sadly, the colleague he rescued later died in hospital.  Crew Commander Miller was treated for heat exhaustion and burns but made a full recovery.

Queen’s Gallantry Medal

Firefighter Dean SEAWARD

For rescuing a family of three from a burning building

A rented flat in Blackpool caught fire on 25 November 2008 after an explosion and a family of three inside found themselves trapped on the third floor. The family made their way to the roof through two small dormer windows and awaited rescue. Firefighters were quickly on the scene to find the fire spreading rapidly and the family calling for help on the roof. They set up two ladders so that two firefighers wearing breathing apparatus could reach the family. Firefighter Seaward realised time was critical and climbed the ladder himself to rescue a man on the roof.

He then joined a second crew who were pitching another ladder to rescue the rest of the family. Firefighter Seaward climbed this ladder into the smoke and heat, this time having to make his way from the eaves to the ridge via a gully. On reaching the ridge he made contact with the rescued man’s wife and son. Realising he had to get them out of the smoke he first helped the woman to the ladder where another firefighter was waiting to get her to safety, before going back to help her son.

Queen’s Commendation for Bravery

Sergeant Torquil CAMPBELL, Strathclyde Police Force

PC Stewart William FERGUSON, Strathclyde Police Force

For their actions in dealing with the terrorist attack on Glasgow Airport on 30 June 2007

Sergeant Campbell was the police officer in charge at Glasgow Airport on 30 June 2007. When the bombers attacked he had just met an off duty colleague, PC Ferguson, who was at the airport to collect relatives. On hearing the commotion as the bombers’ vehicle struck the terminal building, both officers raced to the scene, summoning help from colleagues and clearing the public from the area. Despite minor explosions continually taking place, both officers tackled the bombers, who were intent on resisting arrest. PC Ferguson even used a fire extinguisher to try and douse the flames and then used it to deter one of the bombers from launching an attack on him and his colleagues. After much effort, and with the assistance of other colleagues and members of the public, both bombers were subdued and arrested. During the struggle, Sergeant Campbell sustained an injury to his hand and suffered the effects of CS spray but despite this he remained on duty to ensure the safety of the public and to deal with the two men arrested. PC Ferguson also remained at the scene to secure evidence.

Queen’s Commendation for Bravery

Stephen William CLARKSON

For his actions in assisting the police to subdue a Glasgow Airport bomber on 30 June 2007

Stephen Clarkson was at Glasgow Airport on 30 June 2007 to collect some relatives. He was in the main public foyer when the bombers struck. He ran towards the area from where he could see smoke billowing and assisted a police officer in subduing one of the bombers. Stephen Clarkson punched the bomber, who fell to the ground, and then used his body weight to restrain him until he was handcuffed.

Queen’s Commendation for Bravery

Christopher DAVEY

For his actions in giving assistance to passengers after a light aircraft had crashed in Venezuela

On 17 April 2009 a light aircraft carrying 9 British tourists and 3 Venezuelans crashed on take off in a remote jungle area of Venezuela near Angel Falls. Christopher Davey, a trained paramedic, was one of the passengers and despite being cut, bruised and in a state of shock, stayed on board the aircraft and helped the others. Despite the real risk of the aircraft igniting, he treated two British women with serious injuries; one had a blocked airway and the second required CPR and helped to get all the passengers off the aircraft. He also treated a third British woman who had suffered serious head injuries which helped her to avoid more serious mental and neural damage. He also treated a young boy with serious head injuries but he unfortunately died later. Christopher Davey remained with all the casualties when they were transferred to hospital and ensured that their injuries were properly assessed and treated.

Queen’s Commendation for Bravery

Sean FOXCROFT (deceased)

For his actions in saving several students from drowning in South Africa

Sean Foxcroft was one of five team leaders in charge of 15 British students aged between 16 -18 on a London organised World Challenge school expedition to South Africa. On 27 July 2008 he and some students were playing on a beach when some of the students went into the water to cool off. This is a dangerous area for swimming and signs are posted on the beach to warn of the hazardous sea conditions. The students got into difficulties in the surf and he and another leader went to save them. He went into the water several times and saved more than one student. Although he managed to get the students to safety, he himself was sadly swept away to his death.

Queen’s Commendation for Bravery

Michael KERR

For his actions in assisting the police to subdue a Glasgow Airport bomber on 30 June 2007

Soon after the vehicle had rammed into the Glasgow Airport terminal building, one of the bombers emerged and a police officer attempted to detain him. Michael Kerr was at the airport returning from holiday when he witnessed the fight between the police officer and one of the bombers. He went to the police officer’s assistance and ended up being punched in the face and kicked on the leg, which resulted in him suffering a broken leg. He was dragged to safety by other members of the public.

Queen’s Commendation for Bravery

Henry LAMBIE

For his actions in assisting the police to subdue a Glasgow Airport bomber on 30 June 2007

On 30 June 2007, Henry Lambie was working at Glasgow Airport as an Airport Ambassador. He heard a loud bang and made his way to the area and saw a burning vehicle rammed against the main doors of the terminal building. Realising the danger, he instructed staff to evacuate and helped two members under threat from fire to do so. Thinking the fire was the result of a motor accident he found a fire extinguisher and moved towards the fire. He quickly realised this was not an accident but continued to fight the fire until help arrived. One of the bombers ran towards him in an attempt to stop him fighting the flames but he turned the water on the bomber and held him off, allowing police officers to apprehend him.

Queen’s Commendation for Bravery

Michael Joseph McDONALD

For his actions in assisting the police to subdue a Glasgow Airport bomber on 30 June 2007

Michael McDonald was working as a check-in attendant when he heard a loud bang. He helped to evacuate passengers and then noticed police officers struggling with one of the bombers. He ran to help and struck one of the bombers in an effort to subdue him and then helped wrestle him to the ground. He used his bodyweight to restrain the bomber while the police handcuffed him.

Queen’s Commendation for Bravery

Alexander McILVEEN

For his actions in assisting the police to subdue a Glasgow Airport bomber on 30 June 2007

Alexander McIlveen was operating as a taxi driver and had just parked his car next to the front of the terminal building when he witnessed the bombers’ vehicle ramming the building. He directed his passenger to safety and then ran to the assistance of a police officer who was being attacked. He saw one of the bombers throw a petrol bomb. Undeterred, he helped the police restrain one of the bombers. During the altercation, CS Gas was used to try and control one of the bombers and Alexander McIlveen was temporarily blinded. He was helped away from the burning vehicle. He soon recovered and later helped Michael Kerr to safety.

Briefing by the Prime Minister’s Spokesman on: Afghanistan and immigration

Afghanistan

Asked if the Prime Minister was concerned that the leaked documents on the war in Afghanistan had details of war crimes, the Prime Minister’s Spokeswoman (PMS) said that we did not comment on leaked documents.

Immigration

Asked if the Prime Minister was concerned about the High Court ruling on banning fast track deportation, the PMS said that the Home Office had responded to this and the Prime Minister echoed the response; we were disappointed with the Court’s judgement and would be appealing. The policy of making limited exceptions in special circumstances to 72-hour notification of immigration removal has been an important element of our management of removals. The Government remained committed to removing individuals with no right to be in the UK as quickly as possible.

Put that the Immigration Minister had said that it was important Britain was not seen as a soft touch and asked if the Prime Minister was concerned that today’s ruling portrayed us as such, the PMS repeated that we were disappointed in the result and would be appealing. We had introduced measures concerning immigration and it was an area we were looking at further. The PMS referred reporters to statements the Home Secretary had already made on this area.

Briefing by the Prime Minister’s Spokesman on: Policing White Paper, Afghanistan leaks, MPs’ pensions and the Prime Minister’s holiday

Policing White Paper

Asked if there would be a leak inquiry into the White Paper appearing in a Sunday newspaper, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) told the assembled press to speak to the Home Office.

Asked if it was the Government’s intention to see directly elected Police Commissioners within two years, the PMS said that the Government’s position on elected individuals was well known and advised people to wait for more detail in this afternoon’s statement.

Asked if the announcement would have any bearing on frontline officer numbers, the PMS replied that there were tough choices to be made. The Government had made its position clear regarding public services having to tighten their belts. We wanted to ensure that it was the back-office bureaucracy that was cut and not frontline services.

Afghanistan leaks

When asked what the Prime Minister’s view was of the picture portrayed by the leaked documents, the PMS referred people to the statement made by the White House in response to the leak of US military documents. The PMS added that we would lament all unauthorised release of classified materials.

Asked about the content of the leaked documents, the PMS said that the Government did not comment on leaked documents. On whether there would be an inquiry into instances involving British troops, the PMS said that we would not comment on leaked documents.

Asked what message the Prime Minister would be taking to India after suggestions that Pakistan intelligence services held allegiances with the Taliban, the PMS said the Government would continue to work with Pakistan to enhance its capacity to focus on and tackle the threats being faced and we would continue to urge Pakistan to do all it could to dismantle all militant and terrorist groups operating on or from Pakistani soil.

Asked if it was a matter of concern that Pakistan intelligence services seemed to be cooperating more with the Taliban than with Coalition forces, the PMS said the presence of militant and terrorist groups posed a grave threat to the Pakistani state as well as to the stability and security of the region and beyond. We would continue to work with Pakistan and urged them to do more.

Put that the last Government always maintained that two thirds of terrorist plots could be linked to the border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan and did the Government stand by that position, the PMS said that we were aware of the threat from that area, but advised people to speak to MOD on any figures.

On whether there was concern over the Taliban’s capability to use ground-to-air missiles, the PMS said that she would not go into detail on those issues. We were well aware of what the Taliban threat was and the importance of the mission in Afghanistan, as well as the need to return security to the country as soon as possible.

MPs’ pensions

Asked for a response on the SSRB recommendations, the PMS replied that the Government had made its position clear in the Coalition document where it had committed to consult with IPSA on how to move away from the MPs current final salary pension schemes.

Asked if the Prime Minister thought there were any signs of IPSA ‘getting a grip’, the PMS said that the Prime Minister had spoken on the issue at PMQs and it was now for IPSA to act on those words.

Prime Minister’s holiday

Put that it had been reported that the Prime Minister would be holidaying in Britain this year and would he encourage other politicians to do the same, the PMS said that it was a decision for individual Ministers to take.

Misc

Put that it had been suggested that the Government would now stand against granting anonymity for people accused of rape, the PMS advised people to speak to the Ministry of Justice.

Asked if the Prime Minister had full confidence in Crispin Blunt, the PMS said that he did.

Briefing by the Prime Minister’s Spokesman on: prison parties, Lockerbie and GDP figures

Prison parties

Asked if the Prime Minister thought that it was right for prisoners to have parties, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) told the assembled press that No10 had instructed the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to make it very clear that there would be no prison parties.

The PMS said that she understood MOJ guidance to prison governors did not give carte-blanche to parties, but the Government wished to make it clear that no such events would take place.

Asked how No10 sent the instruction to MOJ, the PMS replied that there was a conversation between officials, but the Prime Minister was aware of the situation. Asked when the conversation took place, the PMS said in the past 24 hours.

When asked if the Prime Minister had full confidence in Crispin Blunt, the PMS said that he did. The important point here was that policy was discussed in the round before announcements were made.

Put that instructions were issued by No10 after the speech and did that mean some elements of the speech came as a surprise, the PMS replied that policy needed to be done by collective agreement. The PMS said that prison was a place of punishment but also there needed to be rehabilitation. Prison governors needed to use their best judgement on how that was done.

The guidance that the MOJ was providing to governors gave some latitude, meaning that there was not a complete ban on certain activities, but clearly this needed to be within certain parameters.

Asked about Indeterminate Prison Policy (IPP), the PMS replied that there was no collective agreement on whether to change IPP, so there was no change in policy agreed.

Lockerbie

Asked about letters issued by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was there any comment on present or former British Ministers being asked to give evidence by a foreign legislature in another country, the PMS replied that Jack Straw had said that he would be in contact with the Foreign Office. At this time, he had not contacted them.

Whether Jack Straw engaged with the Senate was a decision for him, but the Foreign Office stood ready to discuss these issues or any concerns he had.

In terms of the Government and Ministers appearing, we had not received an invitation. The Prime Minister had said in Washington that the Government would engage constructively with those Senate hearings.

On what form of advice the FCO were likely to give Jack Straw if he chose to seek it, the PMS said she would not preclude any advice given by the FCO.

Asked if it was down to the individual on whether to appear at one of these hearings, the PMS replied that the Government had not been invited to appear, but would consider any invitation should the issue arise. As for Mr Straw appearing, that was a matter for him.

Asked what the Cabinet Secretary’s general principle would be to Ministers having to answer to foreign legislatures on decisions made in this country, the PMS said that we would look at that if the situation arose.

On whether the Cabinet Secretary had made any decision on those Lockerbie papers, the PMS said that she could not give any guidance on timing yet.

Put that some relatives of the Lockerbie dead wanted to see an inquiry set up and was the Prime Minister at all minded to do so, the PMS said that the Prime Minister had made his views very clear on the issue of an inquiry.

The Prime Minister had spoken at length in the US on the fact that an inquiry had already been carried out. The Prime Minister had also instructed the Cabinet Secretary to look into the relevant papers to see if anything more could be released.

Asked if the Prime Minister understood why the Foreign Relations Committee would want to hear from Scottish Ministers, the PMS said that it was up to the Committee which witnesses they invited to appear before it and a decision for Scottish Ministers and the Scottish Government whether those Ministers chose to appear.

On whether the Scottish Executive should make itself accountable to the Foreign Relations Committee, the PMS said that it was entirely a matter for them.

Asked if providing papers constituted full cooperation from the Government or should Ministers appear before the Committee, the PMS said that we had not been invited to appear. The Prime Minister had spoken at length on this and the PMS referred people to his comments.

Asked if there had been any contact between No10 and the US administration on the situation since the Prime Minister had returned, the PMS said we were routinely in touch with colleagues in the US but we wouldn’t provide a running commentary on any of those discussions.

Asked if there had been any contact with BP since the Prime Minister had returned, the PMS said that the Prime Minister had not met anyone from BP since his return.

GDP figures

Asked if the Chancellor had commented at Cabinet on the GDP figures, the PMS said that the Chancellor had made a comment on the figures and she referred people to that.

The Queen has been pleased to appoint James Ingleby DL as Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for Aberdeenshire to succeed Sir Angus Farquharson KCVO OBE on his retirement.

Biographical Notes

James Ingleby was appointed Deputy Lieutenant for Aberdeenshire in July 1992. He is an Associate of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, a member of the Royal Company of Archers and has had a diverse career, principally related to rural and community activities in and around the Aberdeenshire area. He is a past Chairman of the North East Landowners Federation and of the North East Sail Training Association.

A former Director of Aberdeen and Northern Marts, he is a contract partner of a 1,200 acre organic farm and tends 300 acres of forestry.

Born in 1945, he is married to Moira. They have 4 grown up children.

The Queen has been pleased to appoint Dame Janet Trotter DBE as Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for the County of Gloucestershire to succeed Sir Henry Elwes KCVO when he retires on 24 October 2010.

Biographical Notes

Dame Janet Trotter is currently Chair of the Gloucestershire Hospitals Foundation Trust, a role she has held since 2002.

Her background is in education. Dame Janet began her career as a teacher of religious education in Kent and following lecturing appointments in Winchester and Lancaster, led the College of St Paul and St Mary in Cheltenham to university title in 2001.

Dame Janet has been involved in a number of charities and is currently Chair of both Winston’s Wish, a charity for bereaved children and their families, and the Foundation for Church Leadership. She is President of Age UK (Gloucestershire) and is a member of the Chapter and Council of Gloucester Cathedral.

She became a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2001 and was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Gloucestershire in 2006.

Plans to provide National Citizen Service pilots for 16-year-olds next summer have been announced by Prime Minister David Cameron.

The pilots are expected to provide about 10,000 places for school-leavers to take part in activities which could include outdoor challenges and helping the local community.

At a Downing Street reception yesterday, Mr Cameron and Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude met voluntary sector workers and young people who have completed similar programmes to hear about their experiences.

National Citizen Service is a key part of the Big Society agenda, which was outlined by the PM in Liverpool on Monday, and it aims to give teenagers the chance to learn new skills that will help them to make a positive contribution to their community.

The PM said:

“There is a tragic waste of potential in this country today. The young people of this country are as passionate and idealistic as any generation before – perhaps more passionate. But too many teenagers appear lost and feel their lives lack shape and direction.

“National Citizen Service will help change that. A kind of non-military national service, it’s going to mix young people from different backgrounds in a way that doesn’t happen right now. It’s going to teach them what it means to be socially responsible. Above all it’s going to inspire a generation of young people to appreciate what they can achieve and how they can be part of the Big Society.”

The pilots will bring together youngsters from different backgrounds to develop life skills and understand the concept of civic responsibility. Participants will spend a minimum of ten days and nights away from home during the programme and on completion, will take part in a graduation ceremony.

The Government also hopes to offer outstanding NCS graduates the opportunity to take part in a programme of social action projects in developing countries.

Previous story: PM kick starts Big Society in Liverpool

Briefing by the Prime Minister’s Spokesman on: Sheffield Forgemasters, Equitable Life, arrest warrants on war crimes and the airport in St Helena

Sheffield Forgemasters

Asked whether the Prime Minister was accompanied on any of the flights by Andrew Cook, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) firstly clarified that the Prime Minister’s travel costs were met by the Government. As for accompanying the Prime Minister, the PMS replied that we wouldn’t discuss who was accompanying the Prime Minister.

Asked whether a letter sent to the Department for Business about Forgemasters was also sent to No10, the PMS replied that the Prime Minister received a lot of correspondence and that we wouldn’t provide commentary on what he did or did not receive.

Asked whether the Prime Minister had met Mr Cook since the Election the PMS said she wasn’t aware of any meeting.

Asked whether Downing Street was aware who took the decision on Forgemasters, the PMS replied that the decision was made by the Business Secretary and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Asked what the Chief Secretary’s decision-making processes were the PMS referred people to the Treasury.

Equitable Life

Asked whether Equitable Life was not a massive u-turn to what had been repeatedly promised by the Conservative Party given that 50.000 people who would die had been told they would get 40% of what they thought they would get, the PMS replied that the steps that had been announced today demonstrated that the Coalition Government’s commitment had been fulfilled and that a commitment to make fair and transparent payments to equitable life policy holders had been made within two months of forming a new Government.

The PMS added that the new Government also made the commitment that the system was going to be transparent, fair to all policy holders and to the taxpayer and that we would expect payments to be made to those policy holders in the middle of next year.

Asked whether people would get the money they were promised, the PMS clarified that the size of the pot would depend on the spending review.

Arrest warrant on war crimes

Asked about the Ministry of Justice’s decision on arrest warrants for war crimes and whether there was any representation from Israel or anyone else, the PMS referred to the Ministry of Justice.

Airport in St Helena

Asked whether the Prime Minister was happy with taxpayer’s money being used to build new airports, the PMS replied that the decision had been made by the International Development Secretary today. The PMS added that the Government had to think long and hard about this decision and that it considered the economic benefits. The PMS said that considering St Helena was a Crown dependency, it was better to build the airport than to have to meet other costs in the longer term. The PMS said that the aim was to help St Helena to get back on its feet and become self-reliant.

Asked about the costs to build this airport the PMS referred people to the Department for International Development.

Asked whether the Prime Minister had been lobbied to build this new airport, the PMS said that generally speaking the Government is lobbied on many different issues by many different people. When it came to making decisions all of the facts were taken into account to make a decision that was appropriate.

Briefing by the Prime Minister’s Spokesman on: Sheffield Forgemasters, Prime Minister’s US comments and justice

Sheffield Forgemasters

Asked about reports that businessman Andrew Cook lobbied the government to cancel the £80 million loan to Sheffield Forgemasters, the Prime Minister’s Spokeswoman (PMS) said that the government’s decision regarding Sheffield Forgemasters was based on affordability.

Asked if the Prime Minister felt there should be an inquiry into this, the PMS referred reporters to what Business Minister Mark Prisk said last night; the letter from Andrew Cook had no bearing on the decision-making process. The decision regarding Sheffield Forgemasters, alongside other items agreed by the previous administration, were based on affordability.

Asked if the letter from Andrew Cook to Mark Prisk had been shown to the Business Secretary, the PMS said that reporters should ask the Business Department.

Asked if the Prime Minister was aware of representations from Andrew Cook, the PMS said that the representations were dealt with in the same way as all others; companies and organisations lobbied government consistently, and decisions were made on strict criteria.

Asked if Andrew Cook had written to the Prime Minister, the PMS said that the Prime Minister got a lot of correspondence, which we didn’t necessarily comment on day to day.

Asked if there were plans to look through the record for correspondence from Andrew Cook, the PMS said that in general individual companies and organisations lobbied the government on a variety of issues, and decisions were made using all the facts. This particular decision was based on affordability. We would not provide a running commentary on correspondence.

Prime Minister’s US comments

Asked if the Prime Minister stood by what he said regarding Britain being the junior partner to the US in WWII, the PMS said that the Prime Minister’s words spoke for themselves.

Asked if the Prime Minister would apologise, the PMS said that the Prime Minister held our armed forces in the highest regard. The particular comment referred to was part of an interview he had given in the US; the Prime Minister had been giving a general response and referred to the 1940s. We would not make any further comments.

Asked if the Prime Minister was embarrassed by his poor grasp of history, the PMS said that she would not get into commenting on the Prime Minister’s knowledge of history; the Prime Minister held the armed forces in the highest regard. One of the people the Prime Minister looked up to was Winston Churchill and he was very proud of Britain’s achievements in the Second World War.

Justice

Asked if the Prime Minister agreed with the Justice Secretary’s proposals on prisons, the PMS said that a sentencing review was ongoing. We needed to reform the criminal justice system and we had set out how we would do that in the coalition agreement.

Asked if it would lead to a fall in crime or a rise in crime, the PMS said that the government was clear that we wanted to see crime fall. We needed to tackle crime and that was exactly what this government would do.

Asked if the Prime Minister thought that more compassion needed to be shown to criminals, the PMS said that the review into sentencing was ongoing; we needed to look at the whole of the penal system. Earlier this week we had been discussing the rights of victims and making sure that they had more of a say in the criminal justice system, and that offenders didn’t go out and offend again.