Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 16 December 2009.

Gordon Brown has spoken of the challenges of his role at the Copenhagen climate change summit after initial talks with leaders including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, but says that he is determined to help bring the 192 nations involved to a consensus.

The PM said he hoped there would be an agreement by the end of the week, and a legally-binding treaty within six months.

Gordon Brown emphasised the importance of the talks both for the UK and for the future of the world’s population, and said that he would use his experience to bring countries together to discuss the various issues involved:

“This deal matters for Britain. I think if we could get a carbon change, then it is worth about half a million jobs to Britain in the longer run, so it is worth it for jobs.

“But I also think our children, growing up, going to school every day, I don’t want them to live in a world of floods, of droughts, of extreme weather.

“It is really important, therefore, for Britain that we get this deal and it is important that I do everything I can in the next few days to make that possible.”

He also spoke specifically about helping developing countries after backing Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi’s proposals that African nations receive funding to tackle global warming:

“You have got island states that are evacuating their people in the next few years unless we do something about it.

“You have got refugees in Africa – climate change refugees for the first time – you have got Bangladesh, which faces floods and the loss of land to sea as a result of what is happening.”

Britain has pledged £1.5 billion over the next three years to help kick start anti-global warming measures.

Later today, Gordon  Brown will meet leaders from Bangladesh, Nepal, East Timor, Lesotho, the Maldives and Brazil, as well as attending an EU/African Union meeting.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 18 December 2009.

The Prime Minister said the conditions that would make a climate financing agreement possible were now in place, following a long day of discussions in Copenhagen.

Negotiations continued early into the morning as Gordon Brown and other leaders worked to secure a deal that would limit global temperature rises to two degrees.

The United Nations Climate Conference in Copenhagen continues today, with US President Barack Obama joining the discussions.

Yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the United States would play its part in a $100 billion dollar-a-year climate financing agreement for developing countries, by 2020.

The PM said:

“We have now got to the position where it is possible that we will get agreement tomorrow on the $10 billion plan to 2012 and the $100 billion, public and private, including the carbon market and international finance.

“We have also made progress in other areas and I believe that the conditions for an agreement are now there.”

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 19 December 2009.

The Prime Minister has pledged to lead an international campaign to turn the agreements established at the Copenhagen summit on climate change into a legally binding treaty.

Speaking at the conclusion of the summit in Denmark late on Friday night, the PM said that nations had made progress and taken a “vital first step” but that more work was needed.

Mr Brown said that the international community had set a target to limit rises in global temperatures by 2050 to two degrees centigrade and for every nation to publish emissions plans to be held up for scrutiny by their peers.

The PM said:

“This is the first step we are taking towards a green and low carbon future for the world, steps we are taking together. First steps are difficult, but they are also necessary.

“Having taken that first step I hope that we can move quickly to the next step which is to get a legally binding treaty.”

US President Barack Obama described an agreement with several nations, including China and Brazil, as “meaningful and unprecedented” but acknowledged that there was “much further to go” in the fight against global warming.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that all nations had signed up to a plan to provide developing nations with up to $100 billion per year in climate change-related aid by 2020 and that follow up meetings to Copenhagen would be held in the German city of Bonn in six months time.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 22 December 2009.

Gordon Brown has spoken of a “low carbon, greener future” for Britain in his latest podcast following the “tough negotiations” of the Copenhagen climate change summit.

The PM talked of the challenges of the summit and stressed that Copenhagen should mark the beginning, not the end, of efforts to keep climate change at the top of the political agenda.

The Prime Minister also looked to the opportunities that the fight against climate change could present for Britain’s economy:

“I am convinced that Britain’s long term prosperity lies in leading the necessary transformation to a low carbon, greener future.

“We must become a global leader not just in financing greener technologies but in the development and manufacture of wind, tidal, nuclear and other low-carbon energy.”

He also urged the global community to “learn lessons” from the previous week’s conference and called for the creation of a central body to chair future talks:

“I believe that in 2010 we will need to look at reforming our international institutions to meet the common challenges we face as a global community.”

In his penultimate podcast of 2009, the Prime Minister expressed his optimism about the coming year, with decreasing crime rates and the recent announcement of new opportunities for job seekers.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 29 December 2009.

The Prime Minister has released a statement condemning the decision to execute Akmal Shaikh, 53, from Kentish Town, north London.

Mr Shaikh was convicted of smuggling heroin into China in 2007 and was executed in Urumqi, north west China, in the early hours of 29 December 2009.

Prime Minister

I condemn the execution of Akmal Shaikh in the strongest terms, and am appalled and disappointed that our persistent requests for clemency have not been granted. I am particularly concerned that no mental health assessment was undertaken.

At this time our thoughts are with Mr Shaikh’s family and friends and I send them our sincere condolences.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 30 December 2009.

The Prime Minister has written a letter to Burmese pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi in which he says the UK will continue to do everything possible to push for change in Burma.

In the letter, Gordon Brown calls for free and inclusive elections in Burma next year and urges the Burmese regime to engage Aung San Suu Kyi in a genuine dialogue on democracy.

The letter has been handed to the Burmese authorities by the British Embassy in Rangoon – the formal channel by which messages to Aung San Suu Kyi are passed.

TEXT OF LETTER

Dear Daw Suu

You have dedicated the whole of your life to the cause of democracy and freedom in Burma. You have selflessly highlighted the wider suffering of the Burmese people rather than dwelling on your own pain. And through that courage you have gained the respect of the entire international community not just for a person,  but for a cause.

The world knows that as Burma approaches an historic year you will be as resolute as ever in approaching its challenges. If the scheduled elections proceed under a rigged constitution, with opposition leaders excluded and with no international oversight, the military rulers will be condemning Burma to more years of diplomatic isolation and economic stagnation.

But if the elections are genuinely inclusive, free and fair, then the whole of the international community is ready to stand with Burma, welcome her back into the community of nations, and contribute to rebuilding her future and prosperity. It is clear this is the only path which will lead to Burma’s future security, stability and progress for all her people.

Sadly, as the year turns, the signs do not look good. Your continuing detention is only the most visible evidence of the bad faith of a regime which has so far shown no signs of listening to regional or international calls for an end to its violent behaviour.

I continue to call upon the regime to engage with you and allow you further contact with diplomats in Rangoon, and to start a genuine dialogue that can give the Burmese people back their future and their hope.

You have asked us to use our freedom to secure the freedom of the Burmese people. I assure you that as we move into a new year and a new decade the United Kingdom will continue to do everything possible to advance positive change and genuine democracy in your country.

As you have said, there is so much that needs to be done in a Burma that cannot afford to wait.

We are immovably with you – and with the Burmese people.

Yours sincerely

Gordon Brown

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 30 December 2009.

The Prime Minister has paid tribute to those who have worked to secure the release of a British man held hostage in Iraq for over two-and-a-half years.

Peter Moore from Lincoln was working in Iraq as an IT consultant when he was taken hostage along with four British bodyguards at the finance ministry in Baghdad in 2007.

The Prime Minister has spoken to Peter Moore by phone, telling him he hoped he would be reunited with his family as soon as possible.

In a statement, the PM said:

“I am hugely relieved by the wonderful news that Peter has been freed, and will be reunited with his family as quickly as possible. They have faced a terrible ordeal, and I know that the whole nation will share their joy that he is coming home. I pay tribute to all those who helped in the protracted effort to secure the release.

“At this moment of celebration, we also remember the families of British hostages who have been killed in Iraq and elsewhere. And we pledge to continue to do everything we can to bring British hostages back to their loved ones, including the remaining hostage of the group in Iraq, Alan McMenemy. I demand that the hostage takers return him to us.”

The Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Mr Moore was in good health after his lengthy ordeal and is now with the British Embassy in Iraq.

“Peter was set free by his captors this morning in Baghdad and delivered to the Iraqi authorities. He is now in the care of the British Embassy in Baghdad.”

In June the bodies of security guards Jason Creswell and Jason Swindlehurst were passed to British authorities, followed by the body of Alec MacLachlan in September.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 1 January 2010.

The Prime Minister has said the UK must never be complacent about the threat of terrorism following the failed terror plot on a US-bound flight on Christmas day.

The UK will examine a range of new techniques to enhance airport security in response to the attempted attack, Gordon Brown said in an article published on 1 January 2010.

The new decade is starting as the last began – with al Qaeda creating a climate of fear.

In the past week, we have been exposed to an evolving terrorist threat and reminded of the importance of a major new base for terrorism.

These enemies of democracy and freedom – now trying to mastermind death and destruction from Yemen as well as other better-known homes of international terror such as Pakistan and Afghanistan – are concealing explosives in ways which are more difficult to detect.

So the failed attack in Detroit on Christmas Day reminds us of a deeper reality; that almost 10 years after September 11th international terrorism is still a very real threat.

Al Qaeda and their associates continue in their ambition to indoctrinate thousands of young people around the world with a deadly desire to kill and maim.

Our response in security, intelligence, policing and military action, is not just an act of choice but an act of necessity.

We have trebled our security budget; doubled the number of counter-terrorist police and other expert staff dealing with terrorism; and brought in new terrorism-related offences and security measures at airports, stations and shopping centres.

We have strengthened and adapted our response to changing terrorist techniques and developments in protective security.

And we have had operational success – a number of attacks have been prevented or disrupted over the last few years.

But we must never be complacent and remain always vigilant when examining the methods of al Qaeda and its associates, keeping our security measures under constant review.

We now know that the would-be bomber used a small quantity of explosive that went undetected by standard airport security equipment.

We need, therefore, to continually explore the most sophisticated devices capable of identifying explosives, guns, knives and other such items anywhere on the body.

So – in cooperation with President Obama and the Americans – we will examine a range of new techniques to enhance airport security systems beyond the traditional measures, such as pat-down searches and sniffer dogs.

These could include advancing our use of explosive trace technology, full body scanners and advanced x-ray technology.

Working alongside the U.S. and other partners, we will move things forward quickly.

But we must also all investigate how this individual flew from Nigeria to Amsterdam and then to Detroit and what more might have been done internationally to stop him.

In partnership with security agencies abroad, we are doing everything we can to improve the sharing of information about individuals of concern.

We work very closely with the Americans in this area.

And the UK has one of the toughest borders in the world and we are determined to ensure it stays that way.

We have already screened 135 million passenger movements in and out of the country against watchlists.

But in light of the Detroit incident we all urgently need to work together on how we might further tighten these arrangements – in particular, at what point suspects are added to the list and when they are deemed too risky to be allowed to fly, or leave or enter the country – and also into wider airport security.

That is why on Monday I ordered immediate reviews into existing measures – including for transit passengers – and asked for ways we can urgently tighten procedures.

I will be receiving the preliminary findings in the next few days and we will act on them as quickly as possible.

As always, vigilance is the key to our security.

The individual involved in this latest failed attack was prevented from returning to Britain because he was refused a further visa in 2009.

The fact that he was prevented from entering because he claimed he would be attending a bogus college that was not on our register of authorised institutions does not lead us to any complacency.

We must be ever more vigilant about maximising our protection against who we believe pose a threat.

Our watchlist system is matched by our checks on and regular refusal of visa applications.

More than 180 individuals have been banned from Britain on grounds of national security and more than 100 for unacceptable behaviour.

Since July 2005, eight individuals have been deported on grounds of national security and a further eight have made voluntary departures having withdrawn their appeals against the notice of intention to deport.

Fifteen individuals, meanwhile, are currently either detained or on bail pending deportation proceedings on grounds of national security.

It is because we cannot win through a fortress Britain strategy – exclusively protecting our borders – that we have to take on extremists wherever they are based: in Afghanistan, Pakistan and all around the world, including here in Britain.

We know in this case for example that the bomber – who had studied in the UK – had been in contact with an extremist in Yemen and within a few short months was trained to mount the operation in which he was to die.

Although we are increasingly clear that he linked up with al Qaeda in Yemen after leaving London, we nevertheless need to remain vigilant against people being radicalised here as well as abroad.

The UK’s counter terrorism strategy is one of the most comprehensive in the world. A key part of it is to ensure that our fellow citizens do not commit acts of terrorism.

It is very important, however, to recognise that the vast majority of young people and Muslims in Britain reject all forms of extremism, so the success of our strategy depends on support from all communities.

Like preventative work in other areas it seeks to support vulnerable people of any age, but if there are concerns that particular young people might be vulnerable to targeting by terrorist recruiters, it is the responsibility of all of us – families, local communities, teachers, youth workers and other young people themselves – to provide support to those vulnerable young people.

We already work closely with universities and colleges – and with bodies like the national union of students – to help manage and identify the risks posed by radicalisation in educational establishments.

Last year we issued guidance to help universities foster shared values and isolate and challenge the very small minority who promote violent extremism.

We must continue the struggle to win back those dislocated, discouraged and disaffected individuals by demonstrating not what divides us but what we have in common.

The Christmas Day plot also raises specific international issues for the UK too.

The combined force of allied intervention and the Northern Alliance largely removed al Qaeda from Afghanistan in 2001.

The ongoing efforts and sacrifices of our troops – and the work of civilian development teams – are now helping to ensure that al Qaeda is never again able to establish a safe haven there, while we also continue to work with the Pakistani government to dismantle and destroy the organisation’s senior leadership in the border areas of Pakistan.

Pushed out of Afghanistan and increasingly dispersed over the mountains of Pakistan, al Qaeda’s affiliates and allies – in ungoverned or under-governed areas like parts of Yemen, The Sahel and Somalia – have raised their profile.

I have said before that Yemen – as both an incubator and potential safe haven for terrorism – presents a regional and global threat.

We recognise the importance of preventing failed states because of the dangers they pose to regional and global stability and security.

To this end, we are already building further our support for the government of Yemen’s efforts to tackle the underlying causes of the terrorist threat through intelligence support, training of counter-terror units, capacity building and development programmes.

By 2011 our already announced commitment to Yemen will exceed £100million, making the UK one of its leading donors.

And we have already updated our counter-terrorism strategy to include further measures to disrupt al Qaeda’s leadership and to frustrate its attempts to recruit, train and direct a new generation of terrorists – or to find a new haven for those leaders displaced by the efforts of our Afghan and Pakistani allies.

It is right that we now also work more closely with allies in the region through a new ‘Friends of Yemen’ group, we will help establish to pool effort, resource and expertise.

The threat can only be met through enhanced cooperation.

The Detroit plot thankfully failed. But it has been another wake-up call for the ongoing battles we must wage not just for security against terror but for the hearts and minds of a generation.

I am determined to do everything I can to learn from events of this kind to continue to maintain the security and safety of everyone in Britain.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 1 January 2010.

Gordon Brown has invited key international partners to a high level meeting to discuss how to counter radicalisation in Yemen. The Prime Minister said the international community must not deny Yemen the support it needs to tackle extremism following the failed bomb plot on a US-bound flight on Christmas day.

Mr Brown will host the event in London on 28 January. His plans have already received support from the White House and the European Union and in the coming days Britain also aims to secure backing from Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries. In his article on counter-terrorism, the Prime Minister stated his desire to help Yemen tackle the threats from terrorism. In his New Year article he wrote:

“I have said before that Yemen – as both an incubator and potential safe haven for terrorism – presents a regional and global threat. To this end, we are already building further our support for the government of Yemen’s efforts to tackle the underlying causes of the terrorist threat through intelligence support, training of counter-terror units, capacity building and development programmes.”

The stand alone meeting at the end of January will be held in parallel with the London Conference on Afghanistan because of the interrelated issues and the cross over of key delegates participating in both events. The high level meeting on Yemen will aim to:

• Identify counter terrorism needs faced by the government of Yemen
• Encourage and coordinate donor effort in order to build Yemen’s government capacity and provide development support to areas most at risk of radicalisation
• Bring forward commitments on capacity building, training of Yemeni forces and better coordination of international counter terrorism efforts in the region
• Help Yemen with the wider challenges it faces, including promoting economic, social and political reform

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 3 January 2010.

Downing Street and the White House have agreed to continue working hand-in-glove to tackle the evolving threat of terrorism from Yemen and Somalia in the wake of recent events in the US.

Both the US and UK already provide support and funding to the Yemeni authorities to help in their efforts to combat the terrorist threat. Measures include support for a special counter-terrorist police unit and for the Yemeni coastguard operation.

The Prime Minister has said that UK support to Yemen is expected to exceed £100 million by 2011 – Britain is one of the leading donors to Yemen’s development.

Speaking on the BBC today, Gordon Brown said Britain has been working closely with the Americans to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation in Yemen.

“Yemen has been recognised, like Somalia, to be one of the areas we have got to not only keep an eye on, but we’ve got to do more. So it’s strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation, it’s working harder on intelligence efforts.”

The UK has also been pushing at the UN Security Council for an effective African peacekeeping force in Somalia, AMISOM.

On Friday, Gordon Brown announced plans to invite key international partners to a high level meeting in London which will coincide with a major conference on Afghanistan.

“There is absolutely no doubt that the conference we will have in London in January, with a Yemen element to it, will be an important means by which we will help the Yemeni authorities who are fighting terrorism to develop the means and the will to do this even more.”

He has also asked that the evolving threat from Yemen and Somalia be placed on the agenda for the EU General Affairs Council in January, and he will discuss with counterparts at the next EU Council meeting. In addition Mr Brown intends to push for stronger action on Yemen from the Financial Action Task Force.

The PM has also called a special meeting of the National Security, International Relations and Development (NSID) Cabinet committee to discuss further the UK’s response to the attempted attack last week. The Committee oversees UK security issues and includes security and military chiefs. This week the PM will hold urgent discussions with Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary and Defence Secretary and senior advisers on intelligence and security, ahead of the NSID meeting.

This follows the urgent review of airport security ordered by the PM in the immediate aftermath of last week’s events in the US. He expects preliminary findings in days and has pledged to move quickly to improve security wherever necessary.