Number 10 lobby briefing on Brexit and defence spending
2 min read
Here is a summary of this morning's briefing for lobby journalists by the Prime Minister's official spokesman.
BREXIT
At a special meeting of the Cabinet to discuss the speech Theresa May will make on Brexit tomorrow, the Prime Minister said her objective was to "secure an ambitious economic partnership with the EU which is in the interests of both the UK and the European Union".
The spokesman said: "The Prime Minister invited every member of the Cabinet to give their views on the speech ahead of the text being finalised delivered tomorrow. Cabinet ministers held a detailed and positive discussion agreeing that the speech would represent a real step forward in the negotiations."
Asked repeatedly whether ministers had suggested changes to the speech, the spokesman said: "The point of today's Cabinet was for a discussion ahead of the text being finalised and delivered tomorrow. Anybody who's been involved in the formulation of any speech knows they're a work in progress until they're delivered."
He added: "The (Cabinet Brexit sub-committee) reached an agreed position at Chequers last week, today was a discussion of the speech and there was agreement that this was a positive step forward."
DEFENCE SPENDING
On calls by General Sir Gordon Messenger, the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, for defence spending to be increased, the spokesman said: "He was setting out the range of threats that the UK faces and the need to ensure that we have the capabilities to address them. As he said himself, that's what we're currently doing through the modernising defence programme."
