No10 lobby briefing on homelessness, Saudi Arabia, Brexit, defence spending and Syria
3 min read
Here is a summary of this morning's briefing for lobby journalists by the Prime Minister's official spokesman.
HOMELESSNESS
The spokesman said this morning Cabinet meeting featured a discussion on the problem of rough sleeping. He said: "The Prime Minister said that rough sleeping was a tragedy and that is why the Government is committed to halving rough sleeping by 2022 and eliminating it altogether by 2027. Cabinet heard that the Government is supporting rough sleepers through a new housing first approach, with pilots due to take place in the West Midlands, Liverpool and Manchester. This £28m project will provide intensive support to entrenched rough sleepers, providing them with stable, affordable accommodation and other support. The Prime Minister also said the Government should look at doing more with small charities, who are providing valuable support in many communities and helping to deliver local solutions."
The spokesman said the incident of a homeless man dying just outside an entrance to parliament was discussed by the Cabinet.
SAUDI ARABIA
The spokesman said Cabinet also discussed next month's visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. He said: "The Cabinet agreed that building on the Prime Minister's visit to Saudi Arabia last autumn, the visit will usher in a new era of bilateral relations focused on a partnership that delivers wide ranging benefits for both the United Kingdom and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including creating and sustaining British jobs, encouraging further societal reform in Saudi Arabia and keeping our citizens safe at home and abroad. The visit will also provide the opportunity to enhance our co-operation in tackling international challenges such as terrorism, extremism, the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen and other regional issues such as Iraq and Syria."
BREXIT
On comments by Boris Johnson in which he appeared to compare the Irish border with those between London boroughs, the spokesman said: "The Foreign Secretary was making a comparison to demonstrate our overall approach, and that is that some 110,000 people crossing border between Northern Ireland and Ireland annually will continue living their lives as before, travelling freely just as Londoners across boroughs each day. He wasn't offering a technical solution."
DEFENCE SPENDING
On comments by defence minister Tobias Ellwood stating that Britain should be spending more than 2% of GDP on defence, the spokesman said: "The minister was posing a question about the role of defence in the modern world and that's exactly why we've instigated the modernising defence programme to ensure that defence capabilities and processes are sufficient to meet the challenges and the threats we face in an affordable and sustainable way. I can't pre-empt the outcome of that work."
SYRIA
On Boris Johnson's comment that the UK should "seriously consider" military action against Syria if it is proven that the regime used chemical weapons on its own people, the spokesman said: "The UK calls on all parties to adhere to agreed ceasefires and cessation of violence in Syria and respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians. UK efforts are focused on de-escalating the conflict in Syria and ultimately achieving a political settlement. We will continue to work for accountability for the abhorrent use of chemical weapons and if there is clear, verified evidence of the use of chemical weapons and a proposal for action where the UK could be useful then we would look at the range of options."
