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PM dishes out praise for free meals
PRIME minister Gordon Brown has hailed the Town Hall’s decision to forge ahead with plans to introduce free school meals for all primary school children.
Mr Brown surprised his own local party members by throwing his full support behind the policy, which was forced on Islington’s ruling Lib Dems when Labour hijacked April’s budget meeting.
Privately, insiders said they feared Mr Brown would gloss over the subject as his feelings have appeared unclear.
But, speaking to the Tribune during a visit to MP Emily Thornberry’s Barnsbury Street office on Tuesday, the PM said: “We’re interested in free school meals and I hope Islington will work with the government to make this happen.
“My understanding is that they agreed to have free school meals and that they’ve cut the allowances of councillors to pay for it.”
Mr Brown’s words are a warning to the Lib Dems, who have come under fire for stalling on implementing the free meals scheme and will pilot it in only six schools in September.
The government is funding similar pilot schemes in Newham and Durham, but Islington is leading the way as the only council to fund the scheme itself.
Mr Brown held back from saying if he would like to introduce free school meals nationwide, but hinted he’d be watching Islington closely, adding: “We’ve got proposals to pilot free school meals around the country and let’s just see what the results are. But it looks as if it does actually make it far more healthy for the children.”
Islington Labour’s shadow education spokesman Councillor Richard Watts said: “This is the warmest any government minister has sounded about this.”
During the brief meeting with the Tribune, Mr Brown also discussed council homes and knife crime.
He said: “I want to see more houses built.
“We’ve put aside more money for social housing over the next few years and I hope local councils will take up the opportunity to get more money from the government. We’ve set aside the money advanced to this year so we can actually move social housing forward.”
When asked what more can be done to battle knife crime, he said: “We’re trying to run the campaign with young people to make knives unacceptable, so in addition to sentences being greater, patrols of the police being more intensive and the checking of knives, we’re encouraging young people themselves to come together to campaign against people carrying knives.”
‘Bossed around...’ But Brown takes jokes on the chin
PERHAPS the most telling revelation of the Prime Minister’s tour of Islington was not Mr Brown’s responses to journalists, but his confession that Emily Thornberry “tells me what to do” – although he stopped short of saying if he listened.
Speaking after the visit, Ms Thornberry said: “It just goes to show this spin about me being a pushover is not true.”
Mr Brown found himself cajoled by some of her friends too. While it was clear that image consultants
had been working overtime, they hadn’t banked on Labour activist Muhibuzzaman Reza, who made national headlines when he grabbed Mr Brown’s chin in an expression of admiration for the premier.
The photograph of the cheeky gesture was sent around the world’s media within seconds of the visit.
Speaking last night Mr Reza, who works part-time at Islington Law Centre and during evenings in an Indian restaurant, said: “I wanted to get close to him and encourage him.
“I cuddled his shoulder, told him to take care, and when I touched his chin it just happened.
“I didn’t know I had done it until I saw the papers the next day. I was the first person he spoke to when he arrived and the last when he left.”
He added: “In my opinion there’s no better person in my party – he’s the best person to lead the country and I still think that.”
Oi you, why aren’t you clapping?
AS soon as he arrives, clap. When he walks up to you, clap. Shake his hand when he shakes yours but otherwise keep clapping. Keep clapping until he is inside the building and stop only once he is up the stairs, writes Richard Osley.
The instructions, as one of Labour’s press heavies told volunteers on Tuesday in the final minutes before Gordon Brown emerged, were clear. Clap. Clap. And clap. And so when Gordon Brown’s car pulled up, the applause began as if a conductor’s baton had swished at the crowd.
It was like the PM’s visit to Emily Thornberry’s offices had been orchestrated to look good for the cameras by Malcolm Tucker, the controlling spinmeister from the political satire, In The Loop.
Nobody in Barnsbury was as rude as Peter Capaldi’s character but this brief appearance had been ruthlessly stage-managed ahead of today’s European elections, minimising the risk for embarrassment.
You’ll get 10 minutes with the PM, we were told by another press man. Then it was five minutes. Then it was a couple of questions each. Then it was just one. One chance to quiz him – and as a chap from the Evening Standard was told, he won’t be drawn on David Cameron’s expenses. His rules.
National reporters put up with this limited access because they are concerned they will be cut out of the loop altogether if they challenge it.
In the car over from a school visit, Ms Thornberry had briefed the PM on local politics in enough detail that he was armed with exactly how many people are waiting for council homes and recent developments at the Town Hall. As he sat there, with what appeared to look like the dust of foundation make-up on his face and an occasional forced grin, this new found knowledge made him sound like a guru of north London politics. In truth, it was more like a five-second memory test for him.
And then in minutes, he was up and gone. Two palms and narrowing eyes hit us as we tried to get in a bonus question. “No, no – that’s enough.”
It was a shame, as Brown seems comfortable on subjects like council housing. He might have found more gain in expanding further.
But then again, there was a clapping crowd waiting outside. |
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