Tag: Downing Street

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 23 October 2008.

Gordon Brown has told Great Britain’s Paralympians that their successes in Beijing “filled the nation with so much pride” and that they are an “inspiration to us all”.

Speaking to the athletes at a reception at the British Museum on Wednesday, the PM said that the dedication displayed by team GB augured well for the nation’s prospects in 2012 when the next Olympiad will take place in London.

The PM said:

“You are inspiring young people, many talented young people who previously didn’t know that they could also with their potential succeed in athletics. And your inspiration as role models to young people, not just in your own communities but right round the country, is something that augurs so well for our country in the future.”

Olympics minister Tessa Jowell, also at the reception, said that all people knew the athlete’s success did not come about by chance but through their “dedicated determination and talent”.

Great Britain won 102 medals at the Beijing Paralympics, of which 42 were gold, and finished second behind China in the overall medal table.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 23 October 2008.

Gordon Brown has welcomed NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer to 10 Downing Street for bilateral talks.

The two leaders discussed a range of issues including Afganistan, NATO-Russia relations and the prospects for NATO reform. Talks also touched on wider security matters and the impact of the global economic crisis.

Mr de Hoop Scheffer was appointed NATO Secretary General in January 2004.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 24 October 2008.

Gordon Brown has said that his “undivided attention” is on helping people through the economic slowdown and that the UK is better placed than many countries to deal with the current economic crisis thanks to its low national debt.

Speaking to Sky news earlier today, the PM said that the UK was fighting a recession and that he was determined to do “everything possible” to tackle the ongoing economic problems.

Mr Brown repeated his opposition to a cut in oil production, a step announced by OPEC today, but noted that oil prices were falling and said he wanted to see those falls passed on to consumers through lower prices.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 27 October 2008.

Gordon Brown has stressed the importance of “new thinking” in order to deal with the credit crunch and equip the UK economy for success in the 21st century.

Speaking to business leaders and academics at Imperial College, London the PM said the Government was taking the right long-term decisions on issues such as nuclear power, the planning system and infrastructure projects such as Crossrail. Providing skills and training will also help meet demand for labour in areas such as the environment and technology, sectors that could boost employment just as IT did in the 90s, he said.

Mr Brown added that the credit crunch had revealed not only an issue with liquidity but also a systemic problem in financial markets that can only be tackled through global reform. Steps that should be taken include the creation of an early-warning system and the making the International Monetary Fund more like a central bank, he said.

The issue of financial reform will dominate the agenda at a special international summit to be hosted by US President George Bush in November.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 27 October 2008.

Downing Street has played host to a range of protoype electric cars as the Government released details of a number of initiatives to encourage greener motoring.

The PM was shown each of the cars and given an explanation of an electric charging point. Earlier, at an International Experts Meeting, Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon set out the next steps of a £100 million commitment to the development of greener vehicles.

Speaking at the convention, Mr Hoon said:

“Electric cars and other low carbon vehicles, like plug-in hybrids, cut fuel costs and reduce harmful emissions. If we can inspire more people to use them, it will help us to make a positive impact on climate change.

“Alongside this, their research and manufacture is an emerging industry with the potential to create new jobs and safeguard existing employment in the UK. Therefore exploring how to ensure they are a practical and affordable everyday option makes sense all round. That is what the cross Government package of measures announced today will do.”

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 28 October 2008.

Gordon Brown has called upon the international community to provide “substantial additional resources” to deal with the fallout from the current global financial crisis.

Speaking to journalists in Downing Street, the PM said that the International Monetary Fund’s standard arrangement to provide up to $250 billion may not be enough to ease the credit crunch and restore confidence to international markets.

Countries should be prepared to provide more support, particularly countries such as China and those in the Gulf that have built up significant resources in recent years, he said.

Mr Brown said he had discussed his proposal with the IMF, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whom he will meet for talks in Paris later today. The matter will also be raised on a tour of Gulf states this weekend and later with Premier Wen of China, he added.

The PM said:

“In the last few days I have discussed the risk of contagion and the need to stabilise economies right across Eastern Europe.

“It is clear that the whole of the international community must have an interest in stopping this contagion, to prevent the worsening of the global economic downturn. That is why it is vital that the international authorities – particularly the IMF – play a central role in supporting those economies at this time.

“It is in every nation’s interest and in the interests of hard-working families in our country and every country that financial contagion does not spread.”

The PM will also travel to the US in mid-November for a major international summit on the financial crisis to be hosted by President Bush.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 28 October 2008.

The Prime Minister and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have held talks in Paris on the global financial crisis and proposals to be carried forward to November’s international summit in Washington.

Speaking to journalists ahead of the talks, the PM identified four key priorities for the EU and the wider international community: preventing the crisis from spreading from country to country, particularly in eastern Europe; kick-starting bank lending to businesses and homeowners; tackling the economic downturn; and reforming the international finance system.

The insecurities currently being felt by people across the world needed to be addressed through Government action and international cooperation, he said.

President Sarkozy said that the international dialogue should cover not only issues such as liquidity but should also address world governance as a whole, while the IMF should be given greater means to support states in economic difficulty. The EU, for example, could raise its available funds from €12 to €20 billion, he said.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 30 October 2008.

The Prime Minister and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have stressed the importance of creating a common set of EU measures to deal with the financial crisis and to ensure “comprehensive action” is taken following the global summit scheduled for 15 November.

Speaking to journalists at a Downing Street press conference, the PM said that the UK and Germany agreed that a coordinated response to the credit crunch should focus on reform, containment and help for families and businesses.

Mr Brown and Ms Merkel highlighted changes to the International Monetary Fund, the building of greater global market supervision and transparency an dimproved cross-border cooperation intimes of crisis as key areas of reform.

On halting the spread of the current crisis, Chancellor Merkel backed the PM’s call for additional reserves to be made available for an IMF package aimed at helping states in economic difficulty.

Mr Brown added that it was vital to get banks lending once more to families and businesses “on normal terms”. He welcomed a decision by the European Investment Bank to make £4 billion in loans available to UK enterprises.

European leaders will meet in Brussels a week tomorrow to hold final talks in preparation for the special global summit to be hosted by President Bush on 15 November.

The press release issued by Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, on 1 November 2008.

The PM has begun his four-day visit to the Gulf with a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with King Abdullah. The PM is visiting the region to discuss economic, energy and business issues and to seek support for boosting the IMF’s credit crunch contingency fund.

Speaking to journalists before departing Heathrow on Saturday morning, Mr Brown said that all nations had to play their part in solving the world economic downturn.

Earlier this week he said that the $250 billion set aside by the International Monetary Fund to help nations struggling with the current global financial crisis may not be enough, and that countries that had built up large reserves should contribute more.

The PM said:

“My main focus is on how we can help British families through this downturn but because they are global problems they require global solutions.

“The Saudis and other countries in the Gulf States are very important, they are the countries with great revenues and oil wealth. What starts with negotiations in Saudi and elsewhere can end with great benefits for families in Britain. Everybody has got a part to play in solving the world downturn.”

The PM will also attend a special EU Council next week on the financial crisis before heading to the global summit to be held in the US on 15 November.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 2 November 2008.

The Prime Minister has continued to his tour of Gulf states with a series of meetings in Doha, Qatar.

Speaking at a press conference in Doha shortly after his arrival, the PM announced a new joint £250 million Clean Technology Investment Fund to be made available for companies developing green technologies. Mr Brown was speaking after a tour of the Qatar Foundation and a discussion on the work of the Qatar Science and Technology Park.

The PM said that he and Qatari PM Hamad bin Jassem had discussed how to work together to deal with the global economic downturn and that the two countries “share an understanding” of what needs to be done.

Earlier, before departing Saudi Arabia for Qatar, the PM said that he felt the Saudi government would contribute to the IMF’s $250 billion fund that is being used to help countries struggling with the effects of the credit crunch. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia would attend the global summit in Washington on 15 November, he added.

The PM received an honorary degree from King Saud University earlier this morning before meeting a group of former radicals involved in a government programme that integrates extremists back into society.

Later, in Qatar, Mr Brown met journalists at the Al Jazeera news centre before attending a dinner meeting with The Amir of Qatar, Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani.