Press briefing: morning 25 February 2015
The Prime Minister's Official Spokesperson answered questions about defence spending, economy, parliamentary language and Ukraine support.
Defence spending
When asked about defence spending, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) reiterated that the UK does meet the 2% target. He highlighted the 10-year investment of over £150 billion for defence equipment, and when asked about spending from 2016 he added that it would be for a future spending review to set budgets for 2016-17 and onwards.
Economy
When asked about the economy, the PMOS said that the Chancellor and Treasury had already highlighted that the OECD strongly supported the long-term economic plan. He said that recent data on public finances, employment and wage growth in relation to the current inflation rate clearly spoke for themselves in demonstrating why the long-term economic plan was working and why the UK needed to stick to that plan.
Parliamentary language
When asked about the conduct of MPs in the House, the PMOS said that there were long-standing rules about parliamentary language and that the Speaker monitored this.
Support for Ukraine
When asked about the situation in Ukraine, the PMOS said the Prime Minister had set out clearly the UK’s support for President Poroshenko and his government, and his aim of achieving a diplomatic solution. He said this could be seen in the announcements made on training support, an additional £15 million of humanitarian assistance, and economic support through the IMF. He said all of these things underlined the government’s determination to support the Ukraine’s democratically-elected government.