Q.
Prime Minister, could we have a comment on the Bradford fire? Can you tell us how you felt when you heard about the Bradford fire, Prime Minister?
A.
I saw it on television. I was … dumbfounded. It was one of the worst things I've ever seen. I've been in touch with Leon Brittanthe Home Secretary all day and I spoke to him just before I came back. Obviously everything is being done to try to find the cause of the fire and all the emergency services have been absolutely wonderful as they always are under these circumstances. And I think we are all asking, including the people involved in football up there, how could it happen? And how could it be prevented from happening again? But it has been a day of agony for Bradford and a day of torture for the families who have lost someone on what should have been their day of triumph.
Q.
Have you made any decisions today?
A.
We have discussed what the Home Secretary should put into his statement tomorrow—you wouldn't expect me to anticipate. We just want to do everything possible to see that it does not happen again and to enquire very thoroughly into how this could have happened.
Q.
(Unidentifiable).
A.
Look, we will do everything possible. When you get a disaster, when you get an emergency, everyone, but everyone, buckles to and it puts everything else in life in perspective when you really face a disaster like this.
Q.
Do you think you have to rethink the questions of perimeter fences in your plans for football hooliganism?
A.
Now this is as you know not in a Class 1, Class 2—it is not a [end p1] designated ground and once you get a designated ground different rules and safety rules apply. That is one of the things which Leon Brittanthe Home Secretary is now considering … I'm afraid that there is nothing of comfort that one can say. When you have gone through this, and you have got families, you just do begin to understand what people are going through and you also begin to understand that marvellous thing, the British character, that when there are these agonies, when there are these disasters, everyone buckles to help. And I watched as you must have done the service in the cathedral on television and one almost felt one was there with them.
We will do everything. All the other people will also do everything. But we must really enquire into what happened, to see that it does not happen again.
Q.
It does look as if it was a tragedy that could have been avoided.
A.
One always asks that and when we get this, as we did with Ibrox Park, as you say, what could we have done that we didn't? I don't think I would jump to any conclusions—it isn't fair, it isn't fair. We just have at the moment to try to do everything possible to relieve the troubles of those who suffered.
Q.
Many people seem surprised that football grounds do not seem to have the same safety regulations as other public places.
A.
Different football grounds have different safety regulations according to whether they are under the designated grounds which are the Division One and Division Two, but so far, Division Three and Division Four have not been designated, and as you know it was one of the things that, when the Football Association came to see me, I said that we would almost certainly do. But you do not automatically [end p2] designate them all. But those which are designated for the big professional matches do have different safety rules, than those which are not. But again, please do not jump to any conclusions. Let us first of all try to find out all of the facts and what we can do to prevent it from happening again.
Q.
This has been the worst season for the record of football supporters, and people will be looking for some sort of action during the summer before the next season.
A.
There was a double tragedy on Saturday. There was Bradford and there was also of course the example of football hooliganism which you also saw on television. We have to try to deal with both. The game—it is important it continues—after all, it used to be, it is a national game—it used to be our pride that we really were a nation of sportsmanlike people. That is in danger and we just must not allow it to happen. And so we have the two things to tackle, both the safety and the hooliganism. And what we are doing is to try to make football once again the wonderful game it has always been, so that families can go in safety and without fear.
Thank you very much, goodnight.