Press briefing: morning 4 December 2014
The Prime Minister's Official Spokesperson answered questions about the Autumn Statement and the London Conference on Afghanistan.
Autumn Statement
When asked about the government’s approach to borrowing, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) pointed to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement which set out why the government’s approach was the right one.
When asked about the Chancellor’s comments relating to the BBC’s coverage of the Autumn Statement, the PMOS said the Prime Minister shared the Chancellor’s view.
Afghan conference
When asked about the London Conference on Afghanistan, the PMOS said the conference was part of continued engagement with the international community in support of the new Afghan government. He said the UK was supporting the Afghan National Security Forces through the Officer Training Academy. On the wider development agenda, he said £178 million a year of Department for International Development (DFID) funding had already been committed through to 2017. This was alongside commitments from other countries which had been agreed following the conference in Tokyo.
He added it was also an opportunity for the new Afghan President and the Chief Executive to set out their reform agenda.
When asked whether there would be a future conference, the PMOS said he expected the international community to keep coming together to monitor the progress which had been made. He added there would be an opportunity for participants to discuss the best way for this to happen at the conference today.