Press briefing: afternoon 12 June 2014
The Prime Minister’s Spokesperson (PMS) answered questions on the Private Member’s Bill on a European referendum, passports and Iraq.
European referendum
Asked about the Private Member’s Bill on a European referendum the PMS confirmed that the Prime Minister welcomed it.
Passports
Asked how the measures announced by the Home Secretary in the House would be implemented, the PMS advised that the Home Office would be giving further details shortly. He confirmed that the government was indeed sorry for the inconvenience suffered by people as a result of delays to their passports and that the Home Office was doing all it could to resolve the issue.
Iraq
Asked about whether the government would change its position on withdrawing troops from Afghanistan as a result of militants advancing in Iraq, the PMS said that the timetable of withdrawal had been set out and remained unchanged. When asked what support the UK was offering to Iraq the PMS said that the British government was providing humanitarian support, as outlined in Justine Greening’s announcement earlier in the day.