Press briefing: morning 9 September 2015
The Prime Minister's Official Spokesperson answered questions about The Queen and the European Commission President's State of the Union speech.
Longest reigning monarch
To mark the momentous occasion of Her Majesty the Queen becoming the longest reigning monarch, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesperson (PMOS) said the Cabinet would present Her Majesty the Queen with a bound copy of Cabinet papers from October 1952, which records the Cabinet discussion of the speech she would later make at her first State Opening of Parliament on 4 November 1952.
EU State of the Union speech
When asked about the European Commission President’s State of the Union speech, the PMOS said the President made a wide ranging speech covering a number of issues including the importance of a fair deal for Britain, and the challenges ahead for the EU. As and when the European Commission put forward formal proposals on refugees and migration, the PMOS said the government would look at the detail and analyse the proposals. As for the UK’s contribution to the refugee crisis in Syria, the PMOS said the UK was the leading European donor.