Tag: Downing Street

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 7 November 2008.

The Prime Minister has listed a number of agreed steps that the EU will look to secure at next week’s global summit on the world economy in Washington.

Speaking to journalists in Brussels after today’s special EU Council, the PM said that Europe would seek reform of the international financial system, agreed accounting standards, transparency in markets and a shake-up of the International Monetary Fund.

Mr Brown reiterated his call for reform of the financial system to be based on the principles of transparency, integrity, responsibility, sound banking and global cooperation and that it should go hand in hand with the building of an early warning system and new methods of cross-border supervision.

Referring to the need to reform the International Monetary Fund, the PM said it was not possible to “deal with the problems of 2008 with the institutions of 1945″.

Mr Brown also said that he welcomed the decision by several banks in the UK to pass on yesterday’s Bank of England interest rate cut to “customers, families and businesses”.

World leaders will gather in Washington on November 14 and 15 for a special summit on the financial crisis to be hosted by President George Bush.

The text of the podcast made by Gordon Brown, the then Prime Minister, on 11 November 2008.

It was 90 years ago today that the guns of the Western front fell silent, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

This morning I will welcome to Downing Street our last world war one veterans and their families. Today we are blessed that these survivors remain with us, our living link with momentous events that happened before our time. In honouring them we can give our thanks for the sacrifices made by so many.

But for those who did not return from the battlefields, those who “gave their tomorrow for our today”, we will take time to remember and to grieve at war memorials across our land.

The presence of moving memorials in thousands of council chambers, assembly halls and market squares stands as an eternal testament to the fact that no British city, no British town, no British village went untouched by the horror, no family escaped without grief, each school had its representatives among the fallen.

The memorials remind us of the sheer scale of the sacrifice and the breadth of the courage to be found in that generation of Britons.

But so too do they remind us of something even deeper – that while each of us is unique we are not sufficient unto ourselves but citizens, members of a community with shared interests, mutual needs and linked destines.

We owe obligations to others because they are part of what we are. I will always remember the inscription on the Scottish memorial to the war dead. It says “the whole earth is the tomb of heroes and their story is not only graven in stone over their clay but abides everywhere without visible symbol – woven into the stuff of other men’s lives.”

And so today we remember all that is woven into the stuff of our lives. We remember the heroism of those who served in Korea, Northern Ireland, the Falklands, the gulf and the Balkans, and the brave men and women who today wear the British uniform in Afghanistan and Iraq.

It was hoped that the Great War would be the war to end all wars but sadly that was not the case. Sacrifices continue to be made by those who serve in our armed forces today and, whilst the numbers involved are thankfully not on the scale of world war one, the individual cost can remains the same.

My thoughts are very much with all the men and women of our armed forces, serving with such distinction at home and overseas, and my thoughts are also with their families.

So let us today pay tribute and give thanks to all who wear the British uniform, all who carry our flag and all who risk or have given their lives that our country can remain strong and free.

Our gratitude is unbounded your heroism unsurpassed. You are in our thoughts today and always. Thank you.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 11 November 2008.

Gordon Brown has welcomed Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg to 10 Downing Street.

The two leaders discussed a range of issues including the global financial crisis and the preparations for the G20 summit on the world economy to be held in Washington on 15 November.

Mr Brown and Mr Stoltenberg also discussed the issues of climate change, energy and international development.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 11 November 2008.

Gordon Brown welcomed three First World War veterans, Henry Allingham, Harry Patch and William Stone, to a reception at 10 Downing Street today following the Armistice Day tribute at the Cenotaph.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup said the three men had brought “meaning, life and immediacy” to the day’s events. The Armistice Day commemorations had “caught the national imagination” not just because of the sacrifices of the past but because of the sacrifices of those still serving today, he added.

The Secretary of State for Defence, John Hutton, also attended the reception, along with Correlli Barnet, Honorary President of the Western Front Association, and Hadyn Jones of the London Welsh Male Voice Choir.

This year’s Armistice Day marks the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 12 November 2008.

The Prime Minister has travelled to Watford to open a new Sure Start facility and to meet people improving their job seeking skills at a Seetec Employment Centre.

Mr Brown marked the official opening of the Beechfield School Sure Start centre by unveiling a commemorative plaque before meeting staff and chatting with parents and children benefiting from Sure Start programmes.

Beechfield was designated a Sure Start Centre in March 2008 and now offers services such as family learning and behavioural management to almost 1,000 under-5s and their families.

Later, the PM visited the Seetec Employment Centre where he met current jobseekers and former participants, including three Seetec staff, who have used its services. The centre offers help with CV preparation, job applications and interview techniques as well as one-to-one advice and an outreach programme for lone parents.

Asked about the purpose of the visit, the PM said he wanted to meet people who were looking for work and to assure them that the Government was doing everything it can to get the economy moving during the current downturn. The UK will urge other countries to contribute to economic stimulus measures at this weekend’s international financial summit in Washington, he said.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 2 December 2009.

The Prime Minister has urged members of the international coalition to unite behind President Obama’s strategy on Afghanistan.

Earlier today, President Obama announced the United States would send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan.

It follows the commitment made by the Prime Minister earlier this week to deploy an additional 500 UK troops to Afghanistan from next month.

On President Obama’s announcement today, Gordon Brown said:

“I call on all our allies to unite behind President Obama’s strategy. Britain will continue to play its full part in persuading other countries to offer troops to the Afghanistan campaign.

“A vital next stage is the London conference on Afghanistan on 28 January, to which all 43 coalition nations will be invited.

“It will offer an opportunity to agree a process to transfer provinces and districts to Afghan control; to make decisions on new civilian co-ordination in Afghanistan; and to support commitments by President Karzai on Afghan reforms to build up the Afghan army and police, and local governance; and to secure further support from international partners.”

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 2 December 2009.

The Prime Minister has welcomed Muslims from across the UK to Downing Street for a reception for Eid ul Adha.

The annual festival, which marks the end of the Hajj – the pilgrimage to Mecca – was celebrated by Muslims around the world last week.

Speaking about Eid ul Adha, Gordon Brown said:

“Marking the end of the Hajj, this most holy occasion commemorates our common humanity and reminds us of the importance of devotion, fairness and the equality of all human beings before God.

“It allows those of us of other faiths, and none, to reflect on the unique Islamic contribution to Britain and to share with you in celebration of all that has been achieved by British Muslims across so many walks of life. Today Muslims around the United Kingdom and the world will be reflecting on many challenges that face us and the deep moral issues like conflict, poverty and climate change. Together we can stand up to these challenges and move forward to a better world.”

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 3 December 2009.

Hundreds of leading UK and international companies have joined the Prime Minister in calling for a fair and ambitious deal at the Copenhagen climate change conference.

The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change presented Gordon Brown with a communiqué endorsed by more than 850 companies which sets out the business case for strong UN climate deal.

The presentation took place at an event at Downing Street to highlight and celebrate UK businesses providing low carbon products and services.

The PM said:

“We are committed to securing a comprehensive and ambitious agreement in Copenhagen; an agreement which must mark the decisive global shift towards combating climate change, and I welcome this unprecedented support from business to achieve this. Our common purpose is our greatest strength as we push for a binding agreement on climate change.

“Our transition to a low carbon economy will be a key driver of our future economic prosperity. UK companies are at the forefront of this transformation, their innovation and expertise demonstrates why this is one of best places in the world for low carbon business.”

On Thursday evening, he met representatives of more than 100 businesses – including a large number of SMEs – who have embraced the low carbon economy, working in sectors ranging from renewables to IT.

The Corporate Leaders Group includes companies such as John Lewis, Vodafone and Lloyds Banking Group, and businesses in more than 50 countries have already signed the communiqué.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 4 December 2009.

The Prime Minister has told a group of young people that a deal at Copenhagen to avert catastrophic climate change is achievable.

Gordon Brown joined Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband and Baroness Glenys Kinnock in a discussion with an audience of 16 to 25 year-olds on climate change this morning.  A member of the UK Youth Climate Change Coalition facilitated the event.

The question time debate comes just days before the world meets at the United Nations conference in a bid to agree a new international agreement to tackle climate change.

The PM said the world is half way to agreeing an international climate deal, but a five billion-tonne gap must be closed at Copenhagen.

“Today the world is on a path to emissions of 54 billion tonnes by 2020. So we need to take out 10 billion tonnes through this agreement. So far, unilateral action by countries around the world to reduce their emissions is already projected to take five billion tonnes out of the atmosphere. So we are half way there. Now at Copenhagen we must achieve the other half.”

Mr Brown said the European Union has put forward an ambitious offer and now everybody else needs to be ambitious too.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 4 December 2009.

The Prime Minister outlined plans for childcare vouchers in a letter to Dr Roberta Blackman Woods MP and Ms Fiona Mactaggart MP.

He confirmed that all families who currently receive vouchers will continue to get the same support and that tax relief will be retained for any new childcare vouchers that are issued in the future.

Additionally, from April 2011, all new recipients of childcare vouchers will get the same income tax relief as basic rate taxpayers do currently in order to ensure that the system does not disproportionately benefit higher rate taxpayers.

The Prime Minister wrote to the members of Parliament saying:

“I have already made clear that no family currently in receipt of tax relief for their childcare vouchers will see any change in the support they receive. But following our discussions I can now also say that we will retain tax relief for new childcare vouchers issued in the future. However, there still remains a concern that a disproportionate benefit is accruing to higher rate taxpayers. So in order to ensure that this tax relief is given on a fairer basis to all families, we will ensure that all taxpayers get the same income tax relief as basic rate taxpayers do currently. This will take place from April 2011 and will not affect those receiving vouchers issued before that date.”

In the letter Gordon Brown said that the government will continue to make progress to provide free part-time nursery places for all two year olds whose parents want them, albeit at a slower rate.