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Key Quotes: PM's press conference Key Quotes: PM's press conference
(40 minutes later)
Here are some of the key quotes from Prime Minister Gordon Brown's regular media conference on 8 October 2007:Here are some of the key quotes from Prime Minister Gordon Brown's regular media conference on 8 October 2007:
GENERAL ELECTION DECISIONGENERAL ELECTION DECISION
  • "My first instinct if I were honest with all of you was that I wanted to get on with the job of putting my vision of what the future of the country was to the people of the country and deliver on it before there was ever an election."
  • "My first instinct if I were honest with all of you was that I wanted to get on with the job of putting my vision of what the future of the country was to the people of the country and deliver on it before there was ever an election."
    "But I did listen to people. I looked at what people were saying. I heard from our candidates in marginal seats. These candidates in marginal seats were telling us that we would win the election. I happen to believe we would win at any time.""But I did listen to people. I looked at what people were saying. I heard from our candidates in marginal seats. These candidates in marginal seats were telling us that we would win the election. I happen to believe we would win at any time."
  • "I take full responsibility for everything that's happened. I will not put the blame to anybody else. Anything that happens in Downing Street is the direct responsibility of me and I will always take that full responsibility myself."
  • "I take full responsibility for everything that's happened. I will not put the blame to anybody else. Anything that happens in Downing Street is the direct responsibility of me and I will always take that full responsibility myself."
  • "I did think it's a party conference season, wait until the party conference season has finished, then make your announcement about where things are going."
  • "I did think: 'It's a party conference season, wait until the party conference season has finished, then make your announcement about where things are going'."
  • I     considered an election. I said let's see what people are saying during the party conference season. I then said I have got to bring that to an end...I could have done it earlier, maybe I should have done it earlier - that's the reality of the situation."
  • "I     considered an election. I said: 'Let's see what people are saying during the party conference season'. I then said I have got to bring that to an end...I could have done it earlier, maybe I should have done it earlier - that's the reality of the situation."
    CONSERVATIVE TAX PLANSCONSERVATIVE TAX PLANS
  • "I thought this country had moved from the days when you had politicians that promised things, had no idea how they would pay for them, made up sort of policies how you might get money they that knew were perfectly unrealisable and then you put the economy into economic disarray."
  • "I thought this country had moved from the days when you had politicians that promised things, had no idea how they would pay for them, made up sort of policies how you might get money they that knew were perfectly unrealisable and then you put the economy into economic disarray."
  • "I relish the chance to debate in the country the Conservative proposals."
  • "I relish the chance to debate in the country the Conservative proposals."
    "All you can raise is several hundred million pounds. That is a decision that can be made but it cannot fund a cut in inheritance tax of £3.5 billion.""All you can raise is several hundred million pounds. That is a decision that can be made but it cannot fund a cut in inheritance tax of £3.5 billion."
    POSTAL STRIKEPOSTAL STRIKE
  • "This is a very serious issue. And I hope that the talks that are taking place between the trades unions and the management - and we are not going to intervene directly in an industrial dispute, that was the old days - can be brought to a conclusion. But this is unacceptable, this is a disruption to peoples' lives."
  • "This is a very serious issue. And I hope that the talks that are taking place between the trades unions and the management - and we are not going to intervene directly in an industrial dispute, that was the old days - can be brought to a conclusion. But this is unacceptable, this is a disruption to peoples' lives."
    "When we the government are investing a huge amount of money in the postal services it is not something that we can either condone or we can stand lightly by and say it is an acceptable form of behaviour. I want these people back to work. I want people to have the postal services immediately and we the government that is providing money for the post office will have to consider our position in the light of the events.""When we the government are investing a huge amount of money in the postal services it is not something that we can either condone or we can stand lightly by and say it is an acceptable form of behaviour. I want these people back to work. I want people to have the postal services immediately and we the government that is providing money for the post office will have to consider our position in the light of the events."
    IRAN'S NUCLEAR AMBITIONSIRAN'S NUCLEAR AMBITIONS
  • We believe that this matter can be resolved by diplomatic means, by the resolutions that have been passed by the United Nations, by sanctions if necessary. But I'm not prepared to go further than that. What I am prepared to say is that we take very seriously what Iran is proposing and we are prepared to use the methods that we have used in diplomatic sanctions to deal with this problem - and I do not rule out anything."
  • We believe that this matter can be resolved by diplomatic means, by the resolutions that have been passed by the United Nations, by sanctions if necessary. But I'm not prepared to go further than that. What I am prepared to say is that we take very seriously what Iran is proposing and we are prepared to use the methods that we have used in diplomatic sanctions to deal with this problem - and I do not rule out anything."
    IRAQ SECURITYIRAQ SECURITY
  • "We're building up security forces in Iraq in a way that hasn't happened as quickly as perhaps it should have, but it's happening now. In the south of Iraq, there's now 30,000 police or armed forces who are operating to give security, allowing us to transfer some of our power responsibilities to the Iraqi people themselves.
  • "We're building up security forces in Iraq in a way that hasn't happened as quickly as perhaps it should have, but it's happening now. In the south of Iraq, there's now 30,000 police or armed forces who are operating to give security, allowing us to transfer some of our power responsibilities to the Iraqi people themselves.
    "Right across Iraq, there's 300,000-400,000 people being trained as armed forces and as security forces, both in policing, and obviously in the army. Now this is a good thing, because Iraq is soon able to take over responsibility for its own security, and that is what the aim of the next stage of the mission is about.""Right across Iraq, there's 300,000-400,000 people being trained as armed forces and as security forces, both in policing, and obviously in the army. Now this is a good thing, because Iraq is soon able to take over responsibility for its own security, and that is what the aim of the next stage of the mission is about."
    CONVICTED IMMIGRANTS
    Mr Brown was asked why he had told the Labour conference that any new immigrant to Britain involved in drugs or guns would be thrown out, when an EU directive prevented it.
  • "I believe you are wrong. I believe I can give you the cases of people who are EU nationals who have been thrown out of this country because they've either pedalled drugs or because they have been carrying guns. As you know this is an issue within EU law and there is the issue about the right to family life which means that if people have been in our country for a long period of time it is difficult to throw them out of the country, but I said newcomers to the country, and anyone who is a newcomer to the country will not qualify under this right to family life."
    CLAIMS THAT IRAQ TROOP FIGURES WERE 'SPUN'
    "The facts, the facts do not merit these accusations. First of all I had to go to Iraq and to Baghdad and Basra before I made my statement in the House of Commons. I think the criticism of me today might have been that I had not had the chance to hear from the troops on the ground, to hear from our military commanders, to meet prime minister Maliki, to meet the vice president, to meet the ministers for finance, for trade and for the economy to discuss not just troop movements but also to discuss economic reconstruction in Iraq. As far as what I said I think you will see when I announce to the House of Commons this afternoon that my statement is far more comprehensive about all these things than anything that was said in Basra and I think you will also find the statement about numbers that I made in Iraq is absolutely accurate."
    NORTHERN ROCK
    "I want to see the mortgages, and savings and deposits of all those people who've been involved in Northern Rock protected and able to be safeguarded for the future and obviously I too am concerned about the jobs of those people, hundreds and thousands of people, employed by Northern Rock particularly in the North East of the country. I hope we can work out a means by which the jobs of people in Northern Rock, the savings, the deposits and of course the mortgages of people who have mortgages with Northern Rock are properly safeguarded. But I don't expect you to expect me to say any more than that about commercial discussions that take place."