The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Tag: Kuwait

  • Mr Major’s Address to the 7th Armoured Division in Kuwait – 6 March 1991

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s address to the 7th Armoured Division in Kuwait on Wednesday 6th March 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I must say it is jolly nice to be back and thank you very much for what you have done over the last few months, it has been an absolutely fabulous job. I do not think it could have been better done and the general impression back home, and I think it is the right impression, is that this has been one of the most remarkable military episodes ever, it has been a copy book exercise, it was brilliantly planned, it was brilliantly done and I would just like you to know how very proud at home everyone is of the way that you performed and the way you operated over the period of the last few months. Everything else for months has been pretty much wiped off the media and wiped off the press. There are 56 million people back home, all of whom are thorough experts in the Gulf war, all of whom know intimately what you have been doing and I can promise you every single one of them is very proud of what you have done and I am very grateful to you for doing it.

    Let me just pass on two or three bits of information you just may vaguely be interested in. The first is we will not keep you out here a day longer than we have to, the sooner we can get you back home we will do so, I cannot tell you precisely when that will be, but I do give you my word there will be no undue delay about it. The second thing which will be of no interest to you whatsoever I know is there will be some leave when you get back home, though what you will do after you have had so long in the sun out here I cannot myself immediately imagine. The other piece of news I think you may be interested in, though from the media’s point of view it is not to be reported just yet and I hope they will respect that, is that we will get a number of our prisoners of war back sometime later on today and that is all going extremely well.

    So I just really want to say in conclusion, for I would like to stop and have a chat rather than make speeches at you, that it has been a most remarkable exercise, everybody is thrilled with it, I am delighted to be here and saying that to you and I hope when we get home I will have another chance to see you all there.

    Thank you all very much indeed.

  • Mr Major’s Comments on his Kuwait Visit – 5 March 1991

    The text of Mr Major’s comments made regarding his visit to Kuwait on Tuesday 5th March 1991.

    QUESTION:

    [Mr Major was asked why he was in Kuwait].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I want to see Kuwait, I want to see the city, I want to talk to the Ambassador, I want to see what damage has been done and what needs to be done to repair it. A war has just been fought over the freedom and liberation of Kuwait; it is now liberated; I think it is perfectly reasonable to wish to see what has been done.

    But I suppose even more important than that is the opportunity to go and see the troops who played such a key part in the liberation and thank them for what they did, that I certainly want to do.

    QUESTION:

    [Mr Major was asked if he knew when British troops would be able to come home].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I can’t be absolutely precise when they will be able to leave. They have to return all their equipment to a suitable depot, it is spread out over a very large area. There is a huge amount still to be done, but I would very much hope that we could begin moving the first of the troops home within about three weeks and insofar as it is possible – and that will have to be a decision made by the commanders in the field, not one I can make in London – I would like the troops who were in the front line to come home first.

  • PMQT Written Answers – 28 February 1991

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 28th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    The Gulf

    Mr. Latham : To ask the Prime Minister whether he will make a statement on the conflict in the Gulf.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made earlier today.

    Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister at what times on 22 February Her Majesty’s Government first obtained the text of (a) the first Soviet plan and (b) the revised Soviet plan for Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait ; and from what source this text was obtained.

    The Prime Minister : In the evening of 18 February I received a personal message from President Gorbachev in which he set out the proposals he had put to the Iraqis. Details of the revised plan were received in the morning of 22 February from Moscow ; the Soviet Government put it to the United Nations Security Council in the morning–New York time–of 23 February.

    Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister what communications he or his officials had with his counterparts in member states of the allied coalition in the Gulf on 22 February ; and what matters were discussed.

    The Prime Minister : We had extensive consultations on 22 February with partners in the allied coalition, and with the Soviet Union, predominantly on the terms under which Iraq must withdraw from Kuwait and comply with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.

    Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister what consideration was given to the effects of the damage done to bridges and roads in Kuwait and in southern Iraq by the allied bombing sorties when the time period for Iraqi military withdrawal from Kuwait was set on 22 February.

    The Prime Minister : The allied deadline took account of circumstances at the time and was intended to ensure that Iraq ended its occupation of Kuwait in the shortest possible time.

     

    Kuwait

    Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to submit proposals to the United Nations and to the allied Governments for the establishment of a free and autonomous nation, with a democratic government, in Kuwait on the completion of its liberation.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) on 26 February at column 463.

     

    Nuclear Test Ban

    Mr. Cryer : To ask the Prime Minister if, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Provan (Mr. Wray), Official Report, 17 January, column 572, he will set out the proposals that have been submitted by the United Kingdom to the conference on disarmament in Geneva in each year since 1979 on the matter of nuclear testing.

    The Prime Minister : The United Kingdom has participated fully in the relevant ad hoc committee and in the group of scientific experts which is considering the subject.

     

    Mr. Ian Richter

    Mr. Cryer : To ask the Prime Minister what information he possesses on the present health and whereabouts of Mr. Ian Richter, a British citizen held in jail in Iraq.

    The Prime Minister : Mr. Richter was last visited in Abu Ghraib prison by Her Majesty’s consul general in Baghdad on 2 January shortly before the withdrawal of our staff from Iraq. Mr. Richter was then in good health, had sufficient supplies to last some time and well understood why the embassy staff were withdrawing.

    We are using all possible channels, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, to check that Mr. Richter is safe. We remain in close touch with his family.

     

    Norwegian Prime Minister

    Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Newport, West concerning the meeting with the Norwegian Prime Minister, Official Report, 21 February 1991, column 223, what matters were raised during the discussions on developments in Europe.

    The Prime Minister : Mrs. Brundtland and I exchanged views on NATO, the European Community and on the negotiations toward a European economic area.

     

    Engagements

    Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 28 February.

    The Prime Minister : This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

  • PMQT – 28 February 1991

    Below is the text of Prime Minister’s Question Time from 28th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER

     

    Engagements

    Q1. Mr. Robert Hicks : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 28 February.

    The Prime Minister (Mr. John Major) : This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

    Mr. Hicks : I am sure that the whole House will wish to pay tribute to those who have been involved in the successful liberation of Kuwait and especially to our own armed forces whose courage, professionalism and inspiration have been an example to us all. We offer our deepest sympathy and gratitude to the families who have lost their loved ones.

    Does my right hon. Friend agree that very real problems still exist in that part of the world and that it is incumbent on all nations, through the United Nations, to ensure that a middle east peace conference is established at which all the issues, including Israel, the Palestinians and the rest, can be discussed? Does he agree that we should give every encouragement to the Arab nations to formulate their own security arrangements for the future?

    The Prime Minister : I am grateful to my hon. Friend. I shall, of course, be making a full statement on those matters very shortly. The fact is that Kuwait has been liberated and that one of the most remarkable military campaigns of recent years has been concluded. I want to pay the warmest possible tribute to the commanding officers of all nations out there and especially to General de la Billiere, who has commanded our own troops with such skill. I entirely agree with my hon. Friend. We must now look to the future and secure peace, especially by the means mentioned by my hon. Friend.

    Mr. Kinnock : May I say to the Prime Minister that today, in this Parliament and throughout the country, we share the feelings of satisfaction at the defeat of aggression, and the feelings of sorrow at the deaths and misery caused directly as a result of that aggression? Does the Prime Minister agree that the only fitting memorial to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice is to build, through the United Nations, lasting peace and lasting justice?

    The Prime Minister : I share the emotions expressed by the right hon. Gentleman and the conclusion that he reached.

    Mr. Temple-Morris : Does my right hon. Friend agree that if politicians do half as good a job in sustaining the peace as the armed services have done in winning the war, we shall not be doing at all badly? In sustaining that peace, will my right hon. Friend differentiate between the Iraqi people on the one hand, and Saddam Hussein and his Baathist clique on the other? Does he further agree that the longer that Saddam Hussein and that clique remain in power, the more difficult it will be for all nations to have a charitable attitude towards Iraq?

    The Prime Minister : I agree with my hon. Friend. We have never opposed the Iraqi people ; it is their leadership and Saddam Hussein who have been the enemy on this occasion.

     

    Q2. Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 28 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Home Robertson : Will the Prime Minister pay tribute to the 300 service men and their five minesweepers from the Rosyth naval base on their skilful achievement in the long and hazardous task of clearing mines for the allied fleet? Is he aware that the Minister of State for the Armed Forces said on Tuesday that Rosyth naval base was the “easiest and most suitable” target for closure, in spite of the assurance given by the Prime Minister to the House on 5 February? Is that the kind of welcome home that our returning heroes can expect from Ministers in this Government?

    The Prime Minister : I willingly join the hon. Gentleman in paying tribute to the men from Rosyth and the Royal Navy who have done such a magnificent job in sweeping the northern Gulf of mines. I do that with the greatest warmth and willingness. As the hon. Gentleman knows, for I have told the House before, a whole range of possible options concerning the armed forces generally is being considered to reduce the cost of defence support. In the case of the Royal Navy, that is bound to mean the closure of some naval establishments. At this stage the Ministry of Defence is looking at various possibilities and studies are being carried out. It is essential that those studies are carried out before any decisions of any sort can be made. I repeat my assurance to the hon. Gentleman : no decisions whatsoever have been made about the future of Rosyth.

     

    Q3. Mr. Devlin : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 28 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Devlin : My right hon. Friend will be aware of the profound joy and relief among families of service men in the north of England at the news of the ceasefire today and, in particular, at the extremely low level of casualties. Will he confirm that the troops will be brought back from the middle east as soon as possible and be replaced by a United Nations peacekeeping force?

    The Prime Minister : We shall certainly be bringing our own troops home shortly. Precisely what will happen thereafter is a matter yet to be determined. No doubt I shall have more to say about that shortly.

    Mr. Ashdown : May I associate myself with the words of other hon. Members on the role of our armed forces? The use of their professionalism and skill has been put to the service not just of the freedom of Kuwait but to the rule of international law and the authority of the United Nations. May I also pay tribute to the Prime Minister for the calmness and authority with which he has led the nation at a difficult time? Is his view about the future the same as mine? If the coalition invests the extraordinary victory in the United Nations, we will have created a powerful instrument not just for peace in the middle east now, but for peace in the world in the future as well.

    The Prime Minister : I agree with the right hon. Gentleman. I am grateful to him for his kind words. The attitude taken by the Leader of the Opposition and by the right hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Ashdown) has led to a unity in the House which can have been only a comfort to all our troops.

     

    Q4. Mr. Speller : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 28 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Speller : Will my right hon. Friend accept the congratulations through me of the people of north Devon on his leadership over the past few months? Now, as he turns his view towards domestic problems, will he see whether he can right some of the inequalities that have bothered people about the community charge? In particular, will he consider the case where a husband and wife both have to pay community charge even though only one is at work?

    The Prime Minister : I am grateful to my hon. Friend. As he knows, we are examining the community charge and we will make announcements on that when our examination is concluded.

    Mr. James Lamond : Is there any chance of Governments at the United Nations applying the same energy and enthusiasm to trying to stop the sale of arms to dictators like Saddam Hussein throughout the world, in which case it might not be necessary to sacrifice young men such as those who were sacrificed in the recent war?

    The Prime Minister : The hon. Gentleman knows that there has been an embargo by this country on sales of arms to Iraq for a considerable number of years. My right hon. Friend the Member for Finchley (Mrs. Thatcher) imposed a strict embargo on sales to Iraq many years ago.

     

    Visits

    Q5. Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Prime Minister when he next expects to visit Dover, Deal and south- east Kent.

    The Prime Minister : I am making plans for a series of visits to all parts of the country and very much hope to include Kent among them.

    Mr. Shaw : Will my right hon. Friend confirm the commitment of his Government to completing the dual carriageway A20 into Dover and– [Interruption.]

    Mr. Speaker : Order. It is a perfectly legitimate question.

    Mr. Shaw : Will my right hon. Friend confirm that his Government is committed to completing the A20 dual carriageway into Dover and to completing the A2 dualling between Lydden and Dover? Furthermore, will he send his best wishes to Bob Bale, Trevor Povey and all my constituents who have been fighting for Britain in the Gulf?

    The Prime Minister : I am happy to send the best wishes that my hon. Friend suggests. My hon. Friend has raised his first point with me before, both privately and publicly, and I am happy to confirm that part of the A20 between Folkestone and Dover is under construction and, as my hon. Friend is aware, a scheme for the improvement of the A2 entered the road programme last year.

     

    Engagements

    Q6. Mr. Eastham : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 28 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Eastham : With the welcome end of the Gulf war, will the Prime Minister ensure that the same endeavours are used to reduce hospital waiting lists, which now stand at 980,000, as were used to open wards and provide beds for possible casualties? If he bothers to visit Ribble Valley during the by-election will he try to explain why the waiting list for beds there has doubled during the past four years and now stands at 4,380?

    The Prime Minister : As the hon. Gentleman should know, the health service is now treating more people more efficiently than ever before, not least due to the reforms introduced by the Government and the funding provided by them.

     

    Q7. Mr. Dykes : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 28 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Dykes : I thank my right hon. Friend for his incisive and decisive War Cabinet leadership which has led to success in the Gulf and I add my words of admiration for the unsurpassed and brilliant performance of our armed forces. As I have RAF Bentley Priory in my constituency, from which the Battle of Britain was directed 50 years ago, I particularly think of the performance of the Royal Air Force. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that the particularly brave performance of the Tornado pilots in low flying on the Iraqi airfields did, contrary to rumours, substantially neutralise many of the Iraqi airfields and prevent the Iraqi air force from fighting?

    The Prime Minister : I can certainly confirm that. The bravery of the Tornado pilots in the early part of the campaign played a material part in ensuring that casualties in the land war were so few. I am happy to pay tribute to all those pilots.

    Mr. William Ross : Will the Prime Minister give an assurance to the House that considerable expense will now be put to trying to find a better means of identifying friendly ground troops?

    The Prime Minister : That is a matter to which we shall certainly give attention. The House will understand the tragic occurrence that leads the hon. Gentleman to ask that question. It is certainly a matter which will have the most careful examination.

     

    Q8. Mr. Arbuthnot : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 28 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Arbuthnot : In view of the recent murder of an innocent civilian by the IRA and the attempted murder of the War Cabinet, does my right hon. Friend agree that now is not the proper time to water down the prevention of terrorism Act?

    The Prime Minister : I very much agree with my hon. Friend. The prevention of terrorism Act has served us well in recent years and for the moment we still require it.

    Mr. Mallon : On this historic day when people throughout the world can again savour peace, may I as an Irishman express the anger and revulsion felt by the vast majority of Irish people at the murderous attempts on commuters in Victoria and other stations? Does the Prime Minister agree that the contrived security alerts that we saw again yesterday are causing enormous suffering and disruption to thousands of people going to and coming from work? Does he share my view that to kill and to heap suffering on people in furtherance of political ends is a sad and cynical perversion of the very concept of patriotism?

    The Prime Minister : I agree with the hon. Gentleman. It is wickedness beyond belief, and it deserves the contempt of everyone.

     

    Q9. Dr. Twinn : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 28 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Dr. Twinn : May I join in the warm congratulations of the House to my right hon. Friend for his conduct of the war? In looking to the future, will he bear in mind the problems caused by the division of Cyprus and the fact that United Nations Security Council resolutions have still not been implemented there?

    The Prime Minister : I shall certainly put my mind to that problem. I share my hon. Friend’s hope that the Cyprus question will be resolved. Indeed, I am sure that everyone in the House wants to see that. I do not believe that question of Cyprus can be directly related to the Gulf conflict.

     

    Q10. Mrs. Alice Mahon : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 28 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Lady to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mrs. Mahon : Has the Prime Minister had time to read the recent Amnesty International report on the people of East Timor? Will he now make a commitment to the achievement of a peaceful and just world by banning the sale of weapons to Indonesia, given that that country has illegally occupied East Timor for 15 years and has committed the most atrocious acts of violence against its population? Is not this a good time to do something about the evil of the arms trade?

    The Prime Minister : I have not read the Amnesty International report to which the hon. Lady has referred, but I shall certainly seek to do so and reflect upon what she has said.

  • Mr Major’s Joint Doorstep Interview with the Kuwaiti Ambassador – 27 February 1991

    Below is Mr Major’s joint doorstep interview with the Kuwaiti Ambassador in London on Wednesday 27th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I have had the opportunity over the last few minutes of speaking to the Kuwaiti Ambassador, we have been discussing the general situation. As you will know, I am delighted to confirm that Kuwait City is now entirely free, there are a large number of allied troops actually in Kuwait City and other operations this morning are going extremely well. British troops are now in the British Embassy in Kuwait City, they are cleaning it up and I hope very much that the British Ambassador will be able to return very speedily, perhaps as early as tomorrow. I think the Ambassador may wish to say a word or two.

    KUWAITI AMBASSADOR:

    This is a great moment for me to hear that Kuwait City has been liberated and the British Ambassador is going soon to Kuwait. Thank you very much, we have seen the flag today rising up on the soil of Kuwait. Thank you for your sympathy and cooperation.

     

    QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, how much more fighting do you still feel has got to be done?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I hope there will not be too much still to come but clearly there is some, it is still continuing in places. I hope very soon that the Iraqis will realise the impossibility of their position and that fighting will be able to cease. But that is not wholly in our hands, I think we do have to look to the security of our own troops and our own positions and that does mean that the initiative is going to have to come from the Iraqis. But military plans are proceeding very satisfactorily at the moment.

    QUESTION:

    How are we telling the Iraqis to surrender given their poor communications?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think the Iraqis know what the situation is in the field and I think the Iraqis in Baghdad are very clear about the present situation.

    QUESTION:

    [Inaudible]

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think we had better conclude it first, we have never seen it in terms of victory or defeat, our purpose has been to ensure that Kuwait is free, to make sure that the legitimate government is back in Kuwait and that there is peace and security in the area. That has been our position all the way through, that is now in sight and I am very pleased about that.

    QUESTION:

    How far are you prepared to go particularly with those anxieties expressed internationally about your attitude towards Saddam Hussein himself and the possibility you might remove him?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We have made our position perfectly clear and it has not changed throughout the whole conflict. We require the implementation of all the Security Council resolutions and the conflict can cease when it is clear that those Security Council resolutions will be met in full. That is and always has been the situation.

    QUESTION:

    How long do you expect to remain on Iraqi territory?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We are not planning to occupy territory or dismember Iraq or any of those things, we have made that clear repeatedly, our aims are those we have set out. In due course events will return to normal, quite how speedily that will be one cannot be clear. There is still the fog of difficulties to determine, one does not know precisely what one is going to find. We are still seeing what difficulties exist actually in Kuwait City and elsewhere but we hope to bring the matter to a conclusion as speedily as possible.

    QUESTION:

    [Inaudible]

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think it is a very welcome sign to have, do you not think so?

    QUESTION:

    Can we ask you, Ambassador, what your priorities are now for Kuwait?

    KUWAITI AMBASSADOR:

    To ensure the safety of the people who are living now in Kuwait, that is our priority now.

    QUESTION:

    Are we going to see moves towards a freer government in Kuwait?

    KUWAITI AMBASSADOR:

    Yes, for sure.

  • PMQT – 26 February 1991

    Below is the text of Prime Minister’s Question Time from 26th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER

     

    Engagements

    Q1. Mr. Andrew MacKay : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister (Mr. John Major) : This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall have further meetings later today. This evening I hope to have an audience of Her Majesty the Queen.

    Mr. MacKay : Will my right hon. Friend confirm that there can be no ceasefire in the Gulf war until all relevant United Nations resolutions have been fully implemented, prisoners of war and Kuwaiti hostages held in Iraq have been released and all Iraqi troops have laid down their arms?

    The Prime Minister : I entirely agree with my hon. Friend, but unfortunately the conditions that he so succinctly set out have not yet been met. As my hon. Friend will know, Saddam Hussein spoke again this morning, but without giving any indication whatsoever that Iraq will comply with all the Security Council resolutions. Instead, this morning Saddam Hussein reiterated his untrue claim that Kuwait was part of Iraq and threatened implicitly to return. He must know that meeting the Security Council resolutions is an essential step, and he must publicly and explicitly do so.

    I believe that we are now in a new situation with the beginning of the ground war. Our first concern has to be with the safety and security of our forces–[Hon. Members :– “Hear, hear.”] That means that we require all Iraqi forces in the theatre of operations–those occupying and those supporting the occupation of Kuwait–to abandon their weapons and equipment, and withdraw. Until they do so, they will be treated as hostile.

    Saddam Hussein started this war on his terms. He must end it on the terms set out by the United Nations.

    Mr. Kinnock : May I take this opportunity strongly to commend our forces for the bravery and professionalism that they are showing in the liberation of Kuwait? Does the Prime Minister share my view that Saddam Hussein could halt the war instantly if he were personally to announce his complete compliance with all relevant United Nations resolutions and, in addition, immediately release all the prisoners of war and civilians he is holding against their will in both Kuwait and Iraq?

    Finally, is it not clear that if Iraqi forces leave their military vehicles and lay down their arms, they will be safe from attack, our forces will know that they are also safe from attack, and all hostilities can end?

    The Prime Minister : The right hon. Gentleman is entirely right and I agree with him without reservation. He will know that, even this morning, Saddam Hussein said–I shall quote him because there was an implicit threat in what he said :

    “the Gates of Constantinople were not opened before the Muslims in the first struggling attempt.”

    That is the clearest threat that he will yet again return. We have a duty and an obligation to remove that threat using all necessary means.

    Dame Janet Fookes : As Saddam Hussein, like the devil, is the father of lies, would my right hon. Friend ensure that all in authority take not the slightest notice of what he says, but only of what he does?

    The Prime Minister : I can certainly give my hon. Friend that assurance. There have been many occasions in recent months when Saddam Hussein expressly told untruths. At one stage, his Foreign Minister was negotiating on one tack while he was speaking and acting on another. We simply cannot and do not trust him.

    Mr. Ashdown : Does the Prime Minister agree that, despite today’s welcome news, there is still much hard and potentially costly work to be done before Kuwait is made secure? He is entirely right to say that the safety of our troops and the long-term security of Kuwait mean that any Iraqi troops who wish to return home may do so, but only after they have surrendered their weapons. If they do so, will he say that, once Kuwait is at last liberated, secure and free from threat, Desert Storm will end?

    The Prime Minister : The right hon. Gentleman is quite right. Those are the circumstances in which Desert Storm can end. He is right to emphasise yet again the safety and security of our troops. Frankly, I do not believe that either they or world opinion would forgive us if, at this stage of the conflict, we permitted the Iraqis to withdraw with their weapons, perhaps with risk to our troops and the risk that they would return later.

     

    Q2. Mr. Robert G. Hughes : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Hughes : Can my right hon. Friend confirm that the Government have established 12 regional technology centres to aid technology transfer? Can he also confirm that under this Government, the number of science parks has increased from two to 39 with 22 more planned and that spending on civil research and development is higher, as a percentage of the gross national product, in this country than in Japan or in the United States? Does he agree that calls for the establishment of such policies, when they are already in train, merely demonstrates that those who call for them show muddle and ignorance, which dominate Labour party thinking?

    The Prime Minister : I cannot immediately imagine to what document my hon. Friend is referring. If, perchance, he is referring to the document on industrial and manufacturing matters that was released yesterday by the Labour party, he is a little unkind. There were some good ideas in that document. Unfortunately, the good ideas are already being implemented and the bad ideas are being recycled.

    Mr. Allen McKay : Does the Prime Minister agree with the Secretary of State for the Environment who wants to do away with the poll tax or with the Minister of State for the Environment who has gone on record in the Ribble Valley by-election as saying that he wishes to keep it?

    The Prime Minister : The next Member of Parliament for Ribble Valley, who I hope will soon be on the Conservative Benches, will be here in time to hear the result of our review of the community charge.

     

    Q3. Mr. French : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. French : Does my right hon. Friend agree that an industrial policy that is based on the creation of quangos, subsidies and inadequately costed tax breaks is, as the Financial Times called it this morning, a “recipe for economic distortion”?

    The Prime Minister : I agree with my hon. Friend, but, again, I fear that he is being too charitable. He has forgotten the reinvention of the son of National Enterprise Board, an enterprise which took money away from viable businesses to pick winners which, alas, went bust.

    Mr. Alfred Morris : What emphasis will the Government put on reparations from Iraq and to what extent will they be demanded? Moreover, what is the attitude of other Governments in the coalition?

    The Prime Minister : The attitude is set out in the Security Council’s resolutions. All Governments in the coalition subscribe to them and that remains the position.

     

    Q4. Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Taylor : This House has been powerfully united against the terrorism practised by Saddam Hussein in Kuwait. Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is important that the House is also united against the evil acts of terrorism in this country and that it supports all measures, including the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989? Will he have a word with the Leader of the Opposition to encourage him to be more robust on the issue?

    The Prime Minister : No one doubts the commitment of the whole House to deal effectively with terrorism and not to give way to it. In my judgment, the widest possible support for the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act would be a welcome event and would help to that end.

     

    Q5. Mr. Ron Brown : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Brown : I know that the Prime Minister is involved in many important duties. However, will he understand one thing? The real enemy is at home ; the enemy is the capitalist system and the Tory Government. They are responsible for the problems of the British people.

    We have an example of a state-owned British company wishing to take over the fertiliser business, presently owned by ICI. That is blocked because of the Government’s blind party dogma. If we want investment in this country, is not that unfair to workers who may lose their jobs, especially in Leith, where there is a subsidiary owned by ICI called Scottish Agricultural Industries? Is not that wrong?

    The Prime Minister : It is a rum occasion when I have to take lessons in dogma from the hon. Gentleman.

     

    Q7. Sir Hugh Rossi : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Sir Hugh Rossi : As a successful end to the hostilities in the Gulf is happily within reach, will my right hon. Friend now ensure that the allies will combat, with the same vigour and single-mindedness of purpose, the premeditated ecological vandalism perpetrated by Saddam Hussein? It places at risk the worldwide environment from acid deposition, from accelerated global warming and from desertification, and it also pollutes and poisons the waters of the Gulf.

    The Prime Minister : My hon. Friend is right and he touches on an important point. The United Kingdom has already made a substantial contribution to help to deal with the pollution caused by the Iraqis in recent weeks. I am sure that my hon. Friend is right. An international effort will be needed and we will be part of that.

     

    Q8. Mr. Battle : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Battle : As it is clear that some of the right hon. Gentleman’s Social Security Ministers want to continue the freeze on child benefit and that some do not, will he tell us which ones he will back? Will he pledge now to make good the four-year cut in child benefit or will people have to rely on his one-off, occasional piecemeal statements at the Dispatch Box for their basic benefits?

    The Prime Minister : The hon. Gentleman knows very well that there are occasions when we make statements on public expenditure matters such as child benefit. This is not one of them.

    Mr. Dunn : When accounts are rendered for the Gulf war, will the Prime Minister seek to obtain an explanation of the extraordinary behaviour of the Soviet Union in recent days? Will he make it plain to the Soviet Government that they can play ball either with the west or with Iraq, but not with both?

    The Prime Minister : I shall have the opportunity to discuss all those matters with Mr. Gorbachev early next week.

     

    Q9. Mr. McAllion : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. McAllion : Is the Prime Minister aware that hundreds of young Scots, half of them aged under 18, pass through London’s night shelters every year and that research has shown that on average each of those youngsters has less than £2? Why does the Prime Minister continue to deny to the 16 and 17-year-olds among them the right to benefit? Is the fate of those youngsters who have been thrown on to the streets and are vulnerable to drugs and prostitution a matter of complete indifference to the Prime Minister and his Government?

    The Prime Minister : The hon. Gentleman is entirely wrong, as he knows. We have provided unprecedented training opportunities for young people of that age. There is no necessity whatsoever for any of them to be sleeping rough on the streets of London.

     

    Q10. Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Thurnham : Does my right hon. Friend agree that just as the world recognises the strength and discipline of our armed forces, so it should recognise the strength and discipline of our economy? Is not our pound sterling as strong as Chobham armour?

    The Prime Minister : I agree. My hon. Friend will know that there has been a remarkable series of events in recent months and he will also know that sterling has remained remarkably stable despite those events.

    Mr. Hume : During his visit to Northern Ireland last week, did anyone raise with the Prime Minister the security value of fixed military checkpoints? Did anyone point out that over the past 20 years nothing of security value has been found at such checkpoints, and that they have become security risks providing targets in the form of the young soldiers and policemen who man them? Is the Prime Minister considering reviewing the use of such checkpoints?

    The Prime Minister : I discussed a raft of security matters during my meetings in Northern Ireland last week. However, the hon. Gentleman is aware that it would be unwise to discuss them.

  • Mr Major’s Doorstep Statement – 24 February 1991

    Below is Mr Major’s doorstep statement given in London on Sunday 24th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER:
    The Chief of the Defence Staff has just been briefing me on operational matters so far and I have also had the opportunity of talking to President Bush so we can concert the advice that we both had. The Chief of the Defence Staff has also been in close consultation with General Powell throughout the day.

    Thus far things seem to be going very well indeed, we are pleased with what has happened so far. The plans do seem to be ahead of schedule and as you will have heard earlier there are a very substantial number of Iraqi prisoners that have been taken. I must say at this stage though that this is a very early stage of the campaign, it may well be tougher in days to come though the beginning has been as satisfactory as we could have hoped.

    We are still getting continuing reports of atrocities in Kuwait City, the damage, damage to buildings, blowing up the Parliamentary building and the other atrocities that I mentioned earlier today, they are continuing and I think that does illustrate very clearly that we were right to take this action now and not to delay any longer. I am afraid there is no further information that I can give you at the moment but I am happy to take one or two questions on non-operational matters if that would be helpful.

    QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, do you feel that the accounts coming out from some allied centres are in danger of being euphoric or are you yourself just saying cautious?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    No, I think it is right to be cautious, this is a very early stage of the campaign, we must wait and see what happens over a longer period. There may be more difficult days ahead than those we have had thus far.

    QUESTION:

    General Schwarzkopf has said that casualties had been very light, what do we know about the British forces and what happened to them?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    No I can give you no operational information of that sort but I can certainly confirm what General Schwarzkopf has said, the casualties have been very light so far.

    QUESTION:

    He also did mention British involvement. I know you cannot go into detail but can you just say a word or two about the extent of British involvement so far?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    British involvement is growing and I think that will become apparent over the days ahead but I am afraid I can give you no more information than that.

    QUESTION:

    Dick Cheney has said he thinks it is going to be a relatively short war, is that your reading of the situation?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think it will be relatively short, I think that is true, I do not think it is possible at this stage to put a time limit to it, that depends on a large number of matters that at the moment are simply not knowable. It has begun well, there is some way to go, but I do not think it will go on for a terribly long time.

    QUESTION:

    And the casualties, however light, what is your message to the families who are waiting at home and do not know any more than we do?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Everyone can understand the agony of the people who are waiting at home and I am sorry one cannot give them more precise information. As soon as any information is available we will of course communicate it but it must of course be first to them I think.

    QUESTION:

    Can you give us a flavour of what you were able to say to President Bush or what he was able to say to you?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We simply compared notes on how it had gone so far and how we expected it to develop from now on and I think that is all I can say about that.

  • Mr Major’s Statement from Chequers – 24 February 1991

    Below is Mr Major’s statement from Chequers on Sunday 24th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think as you all know the land battle started at an early time this morning. It is a massive encounter and it will not cease until the Iraqis have been completely driven out of Kuwait. I very much appreciate the diplomatic efforts that have been put in hand over the last few days to try and avoid this particular conflict. But they have failed and they have failed because at no time was the Iraqi leadership prepared to accept the Security Council resolutions in full, at no time were they prepared to do so.

    We have also seen in the last few days that there was neither time nor reason to delay the land battle any longer, no reason because the Security Council resolutions were not going to be met, and no time because of what is now happening in Kuwait city. There are now something over 200 oil wells that have been wantonly set alight on the direct instructions of the Iraqi leadership. That number is rising hour by hour. The Iraqis are engaged upon the systematic destruction of Kuwait city. We have repeated reports of young men and women being rounded up and executed in Kuwait city, murdered perhaps would be a more apt word for what is going on there. And we also have reports of large numbers of Kuwaitis being herded together on trucks and taken out of Kuwait to Iraq, presumably to be used as a bargaining counter in some discussions at the end of the conflict.

    I think it is clear therefore that the nature of the regime with which we are dealing is not a regime whose words you can rely upon or with whom you can deal in the normal manner. The land campaign has therefore begun.

    I spoke at length yesterday afternoon not only to the leaders of a number of members of the allied coalition but also to the Commander of our forces in the Middle East, General de la Billiere. He was confident of what was to come, he was well prepared and assures me that the troops were well prepared. He is also well aware of the risks and the dangers that will need to be overcome in the next few days.

    I know you will not expect me to give you any indication at this early stage of how the conflict is going. I cannot do so, it would not be in the interests of our troops to do so and they of course must be our prime concern. As soon as it is possible to say something more concrete about that then of course we will do so.

    If I may, I would like to add one final word to the families of those men who are engaged in this conflict in the Gulf. It will not, I believe, be a long conflict but it may be a fierce one. There is no doubt in my mind that it is an absolutely justifiable conflict and that we will win it. As soon as that is confirmed we will bring home the men who have been engaged in it at the earliest possible time.

    QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

    QUESTION:

    [Inaudible]

    PRIME MINISTER:

    [Indistinct] time and time again, we have had quite differing signals from the Iraqis, we simply cannot rely on what they have said. The whole world will have noticed in the last few days the quite distinct voices that came out of Moscow with the negotiations that Tariq Aziz was carrying out there and the speeches that Saddam Hussein was making in Baghdad, they were wholly different. As for the future, that will have to take care of itself.

    QUESTION:

    What were your personal feelings this morning?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I am very sorry that it has come to this. A tremendous amount of effort has gone in over many months by a large number of people to ensure that we did not come to this particular conflict so I am saddened that it has done so. But I must say I am absolutely convinced that there is no choice and that it is right. If the Iraqis were to succeed, if they were to get away with what they have sought to do over the last few months, then I think that would be intolerable not just for Kuwait but for the rest of the world. So I think there is an inevitability about what is happening at the moment and I am absolutely clear in my mind that it will end successfully.

    QUESTION:

    Saddam Hussein has been defiant yet again in his tone, what do you think of his tone that he seems to be continuing with again this morning?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Arrogant, unrealistic, and it must soon dawn even on him that he is going to lose and lose big.

    QUESTION:

    Now that the land war has started, how should Saddam Hussein end it, is it going to be difficult for him merely to make a statement that he intends to withdraw now that the forces are engaged? What signal does he have to give that will allow this war to end?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    There is no sign of him giving any signal at all that it proposes to end, even this morning he has been making wholly unrealistic and wholly defiant and wholly untruthful speeches. So there is no sign from him whatsoever that it is going to end so I am in no position to forecast that. I know what the end will be, the end will be that he will lose, but how that will come about I am afraid it is impossible for me to judge at the moment.

  • PMQT – 21 February 1991

    Below is the text of Prime Minister’s Question Time from 21st February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER

     

    Engagements

    Q1. Mr. Viggers : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

    The Prime Minister (Mr. John Major) : This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

    Mr. Viggers : Bearing in mind the horrors that have been perpetrated in Kuwait, where thousands have been murdered and tortured, and bearing in mind also the awful nature of the weapons available to Saddam Hussein, does my right hon. Friend agree that there can be no doubt that the implementation of all the United Nations resolutions is both a just and a necessary cause? Does he also agree that since August Saddam Hussein has had every opportunity to withdraw from Kuwait, and that if a major land offensive should now be necessary our forces will carry with them the gratitude and good will of the entire nation?

    The Prime Minister : I very much agree with my hon. Friend. The only message that we wish to hear today is that Iraq is prepared to accept and implement all the Security Council resolutions in full and immediately. That is a message which can be given to us at any time. As I told the House on Tuesday, only when such a message is received and has begun to be implemented can there be an end to the conflict.

    Mr. Kinnock : Will the Prime Minister confirm that within the past 48 hours every one of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council has made it crystal clear to Saddam Hussein yet again that if immediate and unconditional removal of all Iraqi forces were to take place the fighting could end? Does the Prime Minister agree that that is what the whole world wants–including, had they but the freedom to say it, the ordinary people of Iraq? Knowing that, is not it obvious that of all the many cruelties committed by Saddam Hussein, the greatest would be his failure to take the opportunity, which has always existed and still exists, to avert a major land battle and the great suffering that it would bring?

    The Prime Minister : It has certainly been made clear by the allies that we stand by the Security Council resolutions in full. As the House may know, I understand that, within the past few minutes, Saddam Hussein has begun broadcasting to Iraq. There is no indication yet of what he has said or what he will say, but I am bound to say that he preceded his broadcast with yet another Scud attack.

     

    Q2. Dr. Michael Clark : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Dr. Clark : Does my right hon. Friend agree that Britain is an inventive nation and that we maintain a strong science base? Will he, therefore, join me and other hon. Members from both sides of the House in congratulating the Royal Society of Chemistry on celebrating its 150th anniversary this year? Will he also pay tribute to the chemical industry, which contributes a balance of payments surplus of more than £2,000 million per annum to Britain?

    The Prime Minister : I am happy to do that. Only last Friday I had the pleasure of opening an innovative ICI factory in Runcorn in the north- west which will manufacture an alternative to CFCs–the first such factory in the world. The chemical industry has an impressive record both in investment in research and development and in the exploitation of that investment by our scientists. That is the basis of industry’s necessary recovery.

    Mr. Ashdown : Does the Prime Minister agree that no one, but no one, can relish the prospect of having to fight a land war in the Gulf, that even at the 11th hour every realistic avenue for peace ought to be pursued, but that we cannot allow ourselves to be distracted by cul-de-sac designed to delay the freedom of Kuwait? Will he confirm that the aim of the allies is not a temporary peace, leading to conflict later, but a durable, United Nations-based peace, a basic ingredient of which must be recognition of the legitimacy of Kuwait?

    The Prime Minister : I very much agree with the right hon. Gentleman, particularly about durability and security. There is no need for particular peace proposals. The peace proposals that we wish to hear are those that we have set out and agreed with our allies and others in the United Nations Security Council resolutions. That has been and remains the position. If Iraq is prepared to accept and implement those, the conditions exist for an end to the conflict. Without that, they do not exist.

    Mr. Barry Porter : Will my right hon. Friend take the opportunity today to congratulate the management and work force of the Rover Group on their contribution to the British export drive? Does he agree that the figures recently announced are self-evident proof that it was a very good deal between British Aerospace and Rover for the west midlands, the taxpayer and the country?

    The Prime Minister : There has been a remarkable renaissance in the motor car industry generally. That, of course, includes Rover.

     

    Q3. Mr. Lofthouse : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Lofthouse : Is the Prime Minister aware that West and South Yorkshire police and fire authorities are about to set their budgets this weekend for the forthcoming year? Is he also aware that the options before them are to do so in accordance with the Home Secretary’s guidelines, and thus maintain their present effective forces, or to set the budget according to the standard spending assessments of the Department of the Environment, which would result in the loss of hundreds of police and firemen’s jobs and consequently of services? Considering the increase in the crime rate and the ever-greater demands on the fire service, what advice does the right hon. Gentleman have for them?

    The Prime Minister : Like all authorities, this one must select its own priorities.

    Mr. William Powell : My right hon. Friend will be aware, not least from his knowledge of his own constituency, of the wonderful work done by many thousands of people working for village hall committees. Is he aware that, notwithstanding the marvellous efforts of our right hon. Friend the Member for St. Albans (Mr. Lilley) two years ago to protect village hall committees from some of the worst trepidations of EEC VAT directives, VAT remains a serious problem for them? Will he have a word with the Chancellor and encourage him to try to find a fiscal device to make life easier for those voluntary fund-raisers?

    The Prime Minister : It is not readily apparent what fiscal device my hon. Friend has in mind, but if he cares to suggest something I am sure that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor will examine it.

     

    Q4. Miss Hoey : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Lady to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Miss Hoey : Does the Prime Minister recall when he was a young man being a councillor in Ferndale ward in my constituency? Does he realise that this month there is 25 per cent. unemployment in Ferndale ward? Will he have time in the next couple of weeks to come and see the people there, many of whom have been out of work for more than two years, and tell them what more they can do to get jobs under the Conservative Government?

    The Prime Minister : While visiting Ferndale ward, which I had the privilege of representing for a period after 1968, I might also discuss with the people why, so many years later, nothing has been done by Lambeth council to improve their environment, their housing, their street cleaning or any of the other matters that concern them.

    Mr. Michael Brown : Does my right hon. Friend accept that the answers to any review of the community charge are staring us in the face from Westminster city hall? Would my right hon. Friend note that that council–a single-tier authority–has been able to reduce its community charge as a result of good housekeeping? Will my right hon. Friend ensure that Dame Shirley Porter is made a member of the Government review team immediately?

    The Prime Minister : We should be happy to have Dame Shirley’s advice on that or on many other matters and I am happy to congratulate Westminster city council on the community charge that it has levied. It is certainly an example to other authorities and I hope that they will follow that example.

     

    Q5. Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Michie : Does the Prime Minister agree that concern about loss of face, or part face, by any leader leading a nation involved in the Gulf war pales into insignificance when compared with the possible loss of life if a land war is embarked upon?

    The Prime Minister : Nobody wishes artificially to bring about a land war if it is avoidable. The hon. Gentleman should bear in mind who began this conflict, what the aims were and what is necessary both to end it and to ensure that there is a secure and durable peace, which means that conflict will not recommence at a later date. The hon. Gentleman should bear that in mind.

    Mr. Cash : When my right hon. Friend saw Chancellor Kohl the other day, did he discuss the German proposals for political union, which have now been submitted to the intergovernmental conference? Did he agree that those proposals were completely unworkable and that if they were put into effect they would mean, to all intents and purposes, the end of the Westminster Parliament?

    The Prime Minister : I discussed a range of matters with Chancellor Kohl. I did not discuss the letter which the French and the Germans put forward, although we discussed in general terms some of the matters related to both the economic and monetary union IGC and the political union IGC. I set out for Chancellor Kohl our concerns about those matters and the policies that we have set before the House.

     

    Q6. Mr. Michael : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Michael : On a day when the Government’s own gross domestic product figures have illustrated the depth of the recession and the frightening drop in production created by his policies as Chancellor and now as Prime Minister, will the right hon. Gentleman reflect on the stupidity of adding 6,000 experts on training the unemployed to the queues of unemployed? Opposition Members have lived with the misery caused by the Government for millions of people during the recession in the early 1980s. How does the right hon. Gentleman intend to prevent a repetition of that misery for millions in the 1990s?

    The Prime Minister : We have an excellent record on training, as the hon. Gentleman knows. As for economic circumstances in this country and elsewhere, the hon. Gentleman will know that three of the G7 countries are now officially in recession and two more have had a downturn in output. The hon. Gentleman imputes too much authority to me if he thinks that I am responsible for all that.

    Mr. Hill : Does my right hon. Friend agree that probably one of the biggest mistakes that the western alliance has made was to try to treat Saddam Hussein as though he were an honourable man when in fact his words are worthless? When my right hon. Friend next telephones President Bush, he may be able to tell him of some of the evidence that we have heard in the House about the human rights being destroyed in Kuwait and the genocide taking place there which must mean more and more deaths for the Kuwaitis every day.

    The Prime Minister : My hon. Friend expresses a view which is held by the vast majority of hon. Members in the House. There is no doubt that since 2 August the Iraqis have broken any number of international obligations and there must be some considerable concern about whether we can trust what is said to us by them.

     

    Q7. Mr. Loyden : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Loyden : Does the Prime Minister recall the statement that he made on 29 November following his election to his present position? He said then that he wanted to see a country at ease with itself. Does he believe that 2 million unemployed, the continuing decimation of our health service, the imposition of the hated poll tax and the current deepening recession represent a climate in which the people of this country can be at ease with themselves? Does he not now recognise that the only way to remove those problems is by the removal of the present Government?

    The Prime Minister : The hon. Gentleman is a class warrior who believes in conflict ; I am not. That is the difference between us.

     

    Q8. Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Marshall : Will my right hon. Friend tell the House and the country which five local authorities have the highest community charge, which five have the worst education results and which five have the largest rent arrears?

    The Prime Minister : I shall be happy to write to my hon. Friend will a detailed list of those authorities. I think that I can tell him now, however, that he will find no Conservative authorities among them, and an overwhelming predominance of Labour authorities, almost certainly including Brent, Camden and Lambeth.

  • Mr Major’s Speech to Servicemen at Munster Army Base – 11 February 1991

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s speech to servicemen and their wives at Munster Army Base in Germany, made on Monday 11th February 1991.

    [Quality of initial recording was poor, numerous sections are indistinct]

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Thank you very much. I am delighted to be here today and I only regret [indistinct] able to have on this particular occasion. Can I just say something to you first about what is happening out in the Gulf and about the visit I made [indistinct].

    I think all of you know why your husbands are out there and why your colleagues are out there in the Gulf; there are serious, important principles at stake. It is not just the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, important though that it is. I think there are wider issues as well and one of the wider issues, of course, is the fact that if a large [indistinct] nation like Iraq is able to invade a small defenceless nation like Kuwait and get away with it, then I wonder how many other small defenceless nations around the world [indistinct] a problem on our hands elsewhere if we do not deal with the problem that exists in Kuwait now.

    The second problem, of course, and is that if this were to continue uninterrupted and the Iraqis were to keep control of Kuwait, then I believe very strongly that we would have a much more serious problem on our hands in two or three years time and a much more difficult and widespread problem to deal with. In fact, that it is better to deal with it now, rather than have a much wider and large-scale conflict to deal with in two or three years time, for in two or three years time the Iraqis could be better prepared; they might have the nuclear weapons they do not have now or the biological weapons they do not yet have and so to [indistinct] and to [indistinct] of other people it seemed to us to be necessary to deal with the particular problem immediately and I know from those of your husbands I met while I was out in the Gulf that [indistinct] is their view as well.

    When I went out there early in the New Year, I went out there because I wanted to see for myself because I do not believe, however well you are briefed, you can understand a matter unless you do see it for yourself. I wanted to see for myself what it was actually like out there and I wonder if I can just paint you [indistinct] picture.

    I went right out in the desert [indistinct] and they were well dug-in. If you, were for example, to travel as I did in a helicopter [indistinct] for mile upon mile upon mile [indistinct] encampment, with little pieces of armour [indistinct] headquarters [indistinct] that was actually dug well into the ground and covered with camouflage nets [indistinct] every single day regardless of the possibility of attacks [indistinct] from Iraq. It was [indistinct] a most remarkable operation [indistinct] for as far as you could see from the helicopter [indistinct] every single [indistinct] there were literally [indistinct] all well dug-in [indistinct] at that time [indistinct] they will have moved on now [indistinct] what they were doing.

    I had the opportunity of having a lot of informal meetings with the boys over there rather like the meeting we have got here except that we were obviously short of microphones and it was just a question of gathering round and talking.

    [Indistinct] when I went out there I was not at all certain what I would actually find [indistinct] professional army of course, but a professional army [indistinct] did not expect to be out in a place like the desert [indistinct] that is going on at the present time and I wondered what people would feel about that and I was naturally [indistinct] about the reaction. I do not think I will ever come away feeling so proud of people as I did of those people as I had [indistinct] just after [indistinct] but Iraq was [indistinct]. People knew what they were there for, they knew how difficult the task would be, they were totally and completely confident of their ability to do it and although on many occasions they made it clear how much they missed their families, they were utterly under-standing of the reason they were sent there and completely understanding of the fact that it would take some time before the work would be completed.

    You have all seen what has been happening [indistinct] conflict in the middle of January. The Royal Air Force, the American Air Force and the other allies have done [indistinct] over the period of the last month. They have [indistinct] with the most remarkable skill; you can actually see from photographs out there how military targets have been picked out in the middle of large areas and destroyed [indistinct] have not been damaged at all and it has been a remarkable operation [indistinct] longer than many people imagine. It will go on for a little longer yet, for a very good reason: we want to make sure that if and when it comes to a land battle – and I think it is probable rather than possible that it will come to a land battle – that everything possible has been done to minimise the severity of that battle. We will not commit our troops to a land battle until we are absolutely certain it is the right time to do so and until the air forces have finished the work that they have been engaged on for a very considerable period of time. So I cannot tell you precisely when that will be: I can tell you that we will take every measure that we possibly can to minimise the scale and to minimise the possibility of casualties should that land battle come about.
    When I was there, I [indistinct] some of the boys I met actually came from and I do assure you that they are totally prepared for what lies ahead.

    There were several other things I had the opportunity of discussing with them and that I would like to mention to you today. When this [indistinct] is over we will, I promise you, bring them home just as soon as we can. I do not propose to leave them out there for a lengthy period at the end of this conflict. It may be we will have to bring the troops who are out there back home and replace them for a short while for logistical reasons, clearing up and bringing home equipment, with some other troops; that is a decision to be taken and quite possibly that is what will happen but I will not keep them out there for a lengthy time at the end of this particular conflict.

    Let me also just say a word about the future of the army and [indistinct] at the end of this particular conflict what we can learn from it, what it actually may mean in terms of the future size, scale and skills that we need for the Armed Forces generally and for the Army in particular and we also will need to look and see what is needed for the future of individual regiments. That will take a while but I think it is a wise decision to stop, regroup and consider at the end of this conflict though it will not delay a decision unnecessarily because I know of the difficulties and uncertainties that that causes in many people’s minds.

    One other thing [indistinct] here in Germany [indistinct] I will just say to you I do not know quite how clearly you get a feel of what opinion is like in the United Kingdom but I must say to you that the support that there is for your husbands and for those troops out there in the United Kingdom is so tangible you can [indistinct] feel it, not just in the House of Commons though certainly [indistinct] the House of Commons, but also there among the public at large there is a total and overwhelming support for your husbands out there and tremendous respect for the work that has to be done and is going to be done. I think many people who perhaps often do not think about these matters will have gained new respect for the work of the Armed Forces as a result of what they can see and learn in this the first-ever television war.
    I wish you could feel how strong that support is because I think it would be a comfort and I think to your husbands in the Gulf it certainly would be a great comfort [indistinct] the support that they have.

    [Mainly indistinct, but regarding the large number of letters the Prime Minister had received at Downing Street]

    [Indistinct] from other people in this country who support has been tremendously important. Your letters are getting through and the fact that they are getting through and the support that you are actually giving to your husbands from here is of the most immense importance. That is one of the things, I believe, why morale out there is so very high and if they cannot be here to say that to you, I am pleased that I am, to say “Thank you” for those letters and to keep on writing to them even though it is not always easy for them to reply and may not be so in the future, I do assure you [indistinct] all the things may not be so in the future, I do assure that [indistinct] receive your letters sent out there is very much appreciated

    So thank you very much indeed for your welcome today and I was very pleased to be able to come today. I hope this matter will not drag on too long. I cannot tell you how long it will be because I do not yet know, but I can reiterate finally the promises that I made some time ago that when it is over, we will not delay in bringing your husbands back home to you and I hope that that day will not be far away. [Applause].

    QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

    QUESTION:

    [Inaudible].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    [indistinct] but now I have had the opportunity of seeing their families and seeing the tremendous support they are being given by them [indistinct] I am very pleased that I came.

    QUESTION:

    [Inaudible].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We will, I think, have to consider, at the conclusion of the events in the Gulf, precisely what lessons we have learned from it in order to be sure that we make the right decisions. That is the most important thing: to make sure we make the right decisions to have the right size and nature of army for the threat to be [indistinct] in the future, so that will be my first concern. I will not delay in making those decisions but I think I do have to gather together the facts and the lessons we have learned in order to be able to make them so I am afraid I cannot give you a time-scale but I can give you the promise that we will not delay unduly about it.

    QUESTION:

    [Indistinct] people will be coming back home [indistinct] back to Germany?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Back to where their families are. I think that is where they will want to come.

    QUESTION:

    Finally, Prime Minister, do you have any message – any additional message – for the families of troops in the Gulf?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Only that I hope I can understand how they feel at this difficult time. I do understand that it is very easy for people to say it is very necessary but a particular stress and strain is placed upon the families of the troops who are actually out there. I admire them tremendously in the way they have responded to that strain and I hope that that strain will come to an end as soon as possible in the most favourable way.