Press briefing: morning 3 June 2010
The Prime Minister's Spokesperson (PMS) answered questions on Cumbria and City regulation.
Cumbria
Asked if there would be a review into firearms laws after the incidents in Cumbria yesterday, the PMS said that there was an ongoing police operation and it was important that we found out the facts of the case before getting into further detail. He added that the UK had some of the toughest firearm laws in the world.
The PMS went on to say that the Prime Minister spoke to the Chief Constable of Cumbria yesterday evening and was updated on the situation, which remained as set out by Cumbria Police yesterday. The Chief Constable said that the police teams felt that they had the resources they needed, and that the Home Secretary had been helpful. They had also received a number of offers of support from other police forces. The Prime Minister thanked the Chief Constable for all the work he and his officers had been doing.
Asked if Cumbria was discussed at Cabinet, the PMS said that it was the first thing discussed at Cabinet; the Prime Minister updated Cabinet on the discussion he had had with the Chief Constable and the Home Secretary spoke to the Cabinet ahead of her statement this afternoon.
City regulation
Asked for the government’s position on City regulation, the PMS said that the Coalition Agreement set out the position on reviewing regulation. The clear objective was to strengthen the regulatory framework. We expected the Chancellor to say a bit more about this in his Mansion House speech.