PM
There are five things I would like to tell you about. The first is that we have sent a message to the Prime Minister of Belgium, M. Martens stressing our horror and revulsion and saying that we feel certain that Signor Craxi, as the nation most affected, will set up a disaster fund and we believe that it will be the expectation and the hope of the British people that we should contribute to that and so we're making an immediate initial contribution of £250,000. We have also asked our Ambassador in Mexico to get in touch with Mr. Millichip. We have to do it this way because it's still night there and he'll be able to do it most quickly because we feel that Mr Millichip, and perhaps one or two of his colleagues, will wish to return immediately in view of the enormity of last night's events. And our Ambassador will stand ready to help with any of the arrangements. So he will be going in at breakfast time in Mexico City. And the third thing, which as you know I had arranged a meeting with the Football Association on 21 June to discuss their responses to our previous meeting and suggestions and to decide precisely what should be done before the next season. I think that meeting must be brought forward now so that we can get things into action, as many of them before the next season and therefore I'm asking them if they'll bring it forward. Perhaps not next week but immediately in the following week. And the fourth thing: I have asked if I could see John Smith. I think that he might wish immediately to get back to Liverpool with his team but at the moment he can I would like to see him myself and of course we can get him down here quickly. And also I've asked to see some of the football correspondents who saw what happened with their own eyes. And I heard one on BBC this morning who seemed to me to give a very very vivid account and I've asked a group of them if, when they return, maybe tonight or tomorrow morning, just as soon as they can, they'd come in so that I can talk to them about what happened and see if they have any fresh ideas. As you know, I've talked to Peter Bottomley and he's going round the hospitals this morning. And finally, [end p1] the Home Office make it very clear that the police will give every possible assistance from this end on these things, international cooperation matters, very much indeed.
Those are all the immediate things, can we go one at a time.
Q
Some Royal messages have been passed, have they Prime Minister?
PM
Yes, I believe that Her Majesty has sent a message. She goes obviously to the King and to the President.
Q
Are you satisfied that the Government is doing everything it can to stop this kind of violence?
PM
If you have any ideas that we're not pursuing please let us know. Everyone wants the same thing. Football used to be our national game. It was renowned for its sportsmanship. There are some people who are upsetting the whole thing. Everyone wants to get those before the courts and stiff sentences. But you and I know that in our courts you've got to get evidence against each and every one that stands up in a court of law. Now that is why it is so important to get good television cameras, I'm not only talking about television for transmission I'm talking about total observation of football crowds, so that you can identify people and get the evidence. And that is one of the proposals which we thing should have maximum priority and be right at the top of finance because you've got to get evidence in our courts. Now I watched last night, I watched what people said, I felt exactly the same. I wish we could get those responsible, I wish we could get them before a court and stiff sentences so that they stop anyone else in their tracks from doing this. Now that's what we want to do because we want to make—it's a wonderful game again for people to go and watch. The question is how. And you've got the two things—you've got that terrible thing at Bradford, you've got the safety, the safety from terrible things like that. You've also got the safety from football hooliganism. If there's anything that we're not following up please let us know. But the police are having maximum cooperation with the Football Association. We're making Divisions 3 and 4 come [end p2] under the safety regulations. If anyone has any other ideas they will be followed up because, if you can imagine how the whole of football feels, if you can only play a major game with mounted police and police all round the ground, that's not the football we know and it's not the football we're proud of.
Q
Would you support a ban on British football going to Europe?
PM
I think that the European Football Association UEFA will obviously be considering what to do and I am certain that Mr Millichip and the Football Association themselves will wish to consider immediately whether the Football Association should take any initiatives. I think we're all—it isn't that we're numb, we're worse than numb. We witnessed that agony and, if I might say so, it's even worse after nearly 24 hours than it was when we saw it because the full enormity is coming home as we saw those scenes on television. Everything, but everything, must be done. But in the end it comes to getting hold of the perpetrators of these terrible things. That requires action by the Football Association, if need be it requires any fresh legislation. You get the full cooperation of the police and it requires the full co-operation of the people in the clubs because they know who are their supporters, they know who are not. We will be acting on every single way and I felt so much for what some people were saying on the television last night as they were commenting on it because I felt my blood was boiling too.
Q
Last night, there was some confusion about who was responsible. Is there really any doubt now that it was the Liverpool supporters?
PM
There is an inquiry on. We must leave it to that inquiry. We must leave it to the eye witnesses. We must cross-examine almost all the eye witnesses who were there and get full information as to who were the culprits responsible. And it seems from what we saw that citizens from this country were in considerable measure responsible and I don't think there's any getting out of that. And I know just how the people in Italy and Belgium will be feeling about that. [end p3] Because I know how we would be feeling if it were the other way round. And that's why we've tried to say not only are we deeply concerned and we feel very much for the agony that those people are suffering but we wanted to give some earnest of how we felt and that's why we make available immediately a quarter of a million for the disaster fund. But please any other fresh ideas, everything will be considered.
Q
Have you personally spoken to Ministers in Brussels and Italy?
PM
Peter Bottomley was on the telephone to me last night and he was very active indeed and then he telephoned me at about half midnight after everything was quiet. He is going round the hospitals this morning and I think Mr Smith is also. I've not spoken to Mr Smith myself, Neil Macfarlane has spoken to Mr Smith and I have the greatest respect for Mr Smith. You know he is very very helpful in his advice about the problems of football in this country and I will see him when he returns. But I will be the first to understand if immediately he'll want to go to Liverpool with his team and then I will see him later.
Q
Did you feel there were shortcomings in the arrangements made by the Belgian authorities yesterday?
PM
As you know Neil Macfarlanethe Minister for Sport was very very worried because we have an agreement with UEFA about precise rules and regulations and disciplines which must be followed scrupulously and Neil Macfarlane heard that, felt that there might be trouble and therefore did utter a warning. Now there will be an inquiry and it's not for me to come to conclusions. We all know what we saw but I think we must wait for precise conclusions of the inquiry.
Q
How serious a blow has this been for Britain's reputation abroad?
PM
A very serious blow indeed. And our people feel it. Everyone feels it. And this might make it easier to get through any changes that we need or I hope if there's any evidence against particular people that people will come [end p4] forward with that evidence because it's the thugs that are destroying football. It's not the families who want to go. The families are afraid to go with the thugs there. It's the thugs. And if anyone has any evidence I hope they will come forward.
Q
Will the Popplewell inquiry extend to this latest …?
PM
I think that the Popplewell inquiry is for matches held here on grounds here. Obviously there may well be certain factors in common but there are the two things which Mr Justice Popplewell will inquire into. That is safety against the natural disasters, against the fire and the precautions which had to be taken there. And the safety against football hooliganism which as we have seen can be every bit as damaging in terms of life and don't forget there are a lot of people injured as well as those who've lost their lives. And I think there'll be certain common factors. But I think we must concentrate on this country and on cleaning up football. After all if we clean it up here and we come to identify the thugs and make certain that they can come neither to our football grounds nor to those overseas then we really will have got to the root of the problem.
Q
Will you go to Brussels yourself?
PM
I do not think there is any point in going to Brussels myself. They will have to get their inquiries going and I imagine that, not only in Brussels but I imagine that the UEFA will also have to get their own inquiries going. We stand ready to help with those inquiries in any way and the police will give every possible assistance.
Q
Now that Mr Millichip is being contacted in Mexico, do you think that the England team will return from their tour as a suitable measure?
PM
I am contacting Mr Millichip because I feel certain that he and some of his colleagues in the Football Association will wish to return and consider immediately what action they propose to take. I hope that I will see Mr Millichip when he returns.