![HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Prime Minister Gordon Brown holds talks with Stoltenberg [November 2008]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/downingstreet-150x122.png)
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.”
![HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Pakistan and UK agree to step up efforts against extremists [December 2009]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/gordonbrown-1-150x140.jpg)
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 3 December 2009.
Gordon Brown and the Prime Minister of Pakistan have agreed to take further action against extremists operating on Pakistan soil.
During a meeting at Downing Street this morning, the Prime Minister and his counterpart, Yusuf Raza Gilani, discussed working together on the economy, support for education in Pakistan, and agreed to enhance security co-operation against extremism.
The PM said the UK will also help with reconstruction and stabilization, and he confirmed the offer of a further £50 million to back Pakistan’s plans for long-term stabilisation in the country’s border regions.
Gordon Brown announced that £120 million of the UK’s development programme in Pakistan would support the government in reducing poverty, improving education and providing better healthcare.
“We hope to help put 4.7 million children into primary school; reduce the number of underweight children under five by 100,000; and help provide access to clean water for nearly 40 million people.”
The Prime Minister said the UK would also continue to support Pakistan’s economic development.
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.
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 4 December 2009.
The Prime Minister met the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat, in the House of Commons today.
Mr Brown took the opportunity to discuss the Cyprus settlement talks with Mr Talat and, in a statement made after the meeting, said that the UK continues to support the progress made in negotiations.
The PM also commended Mr Talat and the President of Cyprus, Dimitris Christofias, for the “perseverance and resolve” they have shown while trying to reach a solution.
The Prime Minister said:
“Having striven for a settlement for many years, Mehmet Ali Talat knows well how vital a solution in Cyprus is for all Cypriots as well as for the region and for Europe. I commend both leaders for the perseverance and resolve they have displayed in their search for a settlement.
The two Cypriot leaders have shown enormous courage and determination to get this far. I know that both leaders are fully committed to finding a solution and I hope that the negotiations can be intensified so the two leaders can fully exploit the opportunity that now exists to resolve the issue to the benefit of all Cypriots.
The UK continues to support these efforts and welcomes the good progress made so far. We hope to see further progress over the coming months. With political courage and compromise on both sides, these talks have every chance of success.”