Will the Prime Minister explain to the House, if the government is not involved in this project in any way, as he has just stated, why his director of communications, Mr Peter Maxwell, has recently spent two days as the private guest of Sheikh Muhammad ibn Zaidi bani Tihama on his estate in Glen Tulloch? Is the Prime Minister not aware that Sheikh Muhammad is the chief financial sponsor of the Yemen salmon project? [Interruptions from the Opposition benches]

The Prime Minister:

The right honourable gentleman correctly refers to my colleague Peter Maxwell’s job title as director of communications. As such, his job is not only to communicate with the nation about this government’s policies and its many achievements [Cheers from Government benches] but also to communicate to my office and to me personally matters in which I take an interest. I am personally interested in this project not only because I have always been a keen angler [Laughter from Opposition benches] but because I think it is a splendid example of how, despite the many differences that exist between our nation and some Islamic nations in the Middle East, cultural and sporting values can transcend such religious and political differences as may exist. And that is why I have instructed my director of communications to make it clear to my friend Sheikh Muhammad that while the government has no official position on this matter, we would not wish any unnecessary obstacles to be placed in his way, and would wish to be kept informed at all times of his progress. That is the reason for Mr Maxwell’s recent visit, except I might add I believe he used his influence to ensure that the order for salmon, to which my right honourable friend Mr Smith alluded a moment or two ago, was placed with a Scottish firm rather than a Norwegian one.

Mr Gerald Lamprey (South Glos) (The Leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition):

Would the Prime Minister consider whether it is not odd, at a time when 30 per cent of the armed forces budget is spent supporting military operations in Iraq, and now in deployments to defend the Saudi Arabian oilfields and the oilfields in Kazakhstan, that Mr Peter Maxwell, this government’s highest-ranking unelected and ex officio Cabinet member-[Interruptions from government benches. Mr Speaker calls the House to order.]-I say, Peter Maxwell, should be spending significant amounts of his time thinking about salmon? Surely this government needs to consider the consistency of its policies? We have been told too often in this House that democracy can flower from the barrel of a gun, but we have never yet heard of democracy being hooked on the end of a fishing line. [Laughter]

The Prime Minister:

I do not know whether the honourable member opposite expects a serious answer to his question, if indeed there was a question there. But yes, this government and the preceding governments from this party are proud of their record in introducing democratic ideals through the mechanism of political and sometimes, regrettably but inevitably, military intervention in the Middle East and central Asia. And history will show us to be right. In the matter of the Yemen salmon project, which I believe has led somehow to this line of questioning, if private individuals who share an interest in the sport of angling wish to come together and create what will be, I may say, a miracle of science and engineering, a veritable flowering of the desert, then speaking as an individual, I can only applaud such efforts. I might also add, I believe such efforts will lead to greater harmony between nations, just as the sports of cricket and, perhaps more widely, football have done. [Interruption: ‘The Prime Minster wasn’t at the game between England and Holland last Friday night then?’]

Mr Hamish Stewart:

I am grateful to the Prime Minister for his clarification of the government’s position, although I regret to say I am not much clearer about what the government’s position in this matter is, or is not. Would the Prime Minister find time today during his meetings with ministerial colleagues to discuss with them the failed assassination attempt last week on the life of Sheikh Muhammad ibn Zaidi bani Tihama by a member of the al-Qaeda network at his residence in Scotland? Would the Prime Minister not agree that, in terms of his earlier statement when he referred to the government’s wish to remove any unnecessary obstacles to the Yemen salmon project, the successful assassination of Sheikh Muhammad would perhaps have represented a significant obstacle to the project? [Uproar on all sides of the House]

[Pause while the Prime Minister consults with the Home Secretary.]

The Prime Minister:

I refer the question to my honourable friend and colleague, the Home Secretary.

The Home Secretary (Mr Reginald Brown):

My department is not at this time aware of any such attempt, and I would be grateful if the honourable member would in due course share with my officials any sources he has for such allegations.

Mr Hamish Stewart:

The Secretary of State may read a report of the incident on the inside page of the last week’s edition of the Rannoch and Tulloch Reporter. I am sorry he does not find time to read such an excellent paper, which is published weekly in my constituency. Would the Prime Minister find time, when he discusses matters with his ministerial colleagues later today, to consider whether a person who is an absentee landlord who appears on his Scottish estate for only a few weeks a year and who, when he does appear, has become a magnet for international terrorist activity, is a suitable person for his director of communications to wine and dine with? Would the Prime Minister and his colleagues care to explain to this House, after duly informing themselves of events of which they should have been aware, why the attack was never officially reported, and what happened to the attacker? We are aware that it is necessary from time to time to arrest and hold suspected terrorists without bail pending further investigations, but in this case the matter seems to have been taken out of the Home Secretary’s hands. Would he care to explain why? Would he care to explain what the extradition policy is between this country and the Yemen, and if so what the due process is, and whether those processes were followed in this case? And if they were not, could he tell this House what did happen, and where the alleged al-Qaeda terrorist now is?

Extracts from government memoranda and emails

Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street

From:

Peter Maxwell

To:

Herbert Berkshire, Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Subject:

Yemen salmon project

Date:

14 October

Herbert,

The PM was asked about the Yemen salmon project in the House yesterday. It is not an issue he wants to take up any parliamentary time. Our concern is that the involvement of a government agency (NCFE) may be wrongly construed as suggesting that this project has official government backing.

You will, I am sure, understand that our posture has always been supportive with respect to the Yemen salmon project. If it works, then I am sure the PM will be happy to endorse it, and perhaps make a personal visit as a private guest of the sheikh to see the salmon running. Meanwhile we need more deniability.

I suggest that the scientist Jones, who is doing all the work at NCFE, is disemployed from the agency with immediate effect. If you think this can be done by a word in the right ear, he could perhaps be re-employed by Fitzharris, the consultants who are project managers for the sheikh. That is a matter for them. The important thing is that no civil servant or government official should be directly connected with this project. NCFE should, in my view, be discouraged from being so close to the project. Whilst NCFE is part of DEFRA, this essentially is a matter of foreign policy and that is why I am airing the matter with you.