

Currently released so far... 6239 / 251,287
Articles
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Amsterdam
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Browse by tag
ASEC
AU
AORC
AF
AM
AFIN
AEMR
AR
ASIG
AMGT
AG
APER
AL
ABLD
ASUP
AA
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AE
AMED
AS
AGMT
APECO
AO
AFFAIRS
AJ
ACOA
AX
AROC
ATFN
ASEAN
AFGHANISTAN
ADCO
AFU
AER
ALOW
AODE
ABUD
ATRN
AID
AC
AVERY
APCS
CASC
CJAN
CVIS
CS
COUNTER
CD
CU
CI
CO
CG
CE
CA
CMGT
CH
CWC
CBW
CKGR
CR
CN
CPAS
CONS
CDG
CLINTON
CT
CJUS
CY
CV
COUNTERTERRORISM
CIA
CACM
CDB
CAN
COE
CM
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
CACS
CF
CONDOLEEZZA
CARSON
CL
CIS
CODEL
CTM
CB
COM
ECON
EFIN
ETRD
EAIR
EAID
ET
EFIS
ENRG
EPET
ETTC
ER
EG
EINV
EAGR
ELAB
EUN
EWWT
ENGR
EMIN
ECIN
ENIV
ES
EC
ECPS
EIND
EI
EU
ENVI
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ELTN
EZ
EINT
ELN
EUR
EUNCH
EN
EINVECONSENVCSJA
ELECTIONS
EINVEFIN
ENNP
ECUN
EXTERNAL
EK
EFINECONCS
ECINECONCS
ECIP
EINDETRD
EUC
EREL
ENVR
ECA
ENERG
ENGY
ETRO
EFTA
ECONCS
ECONOMICS
ECONEFIN
EINVETC
EINN
ESA
ETC
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ESENV
ETRDECONWTOCS
IR
IZ
IWC
IC
ILC
IO
IAEA
IN
IS
IT
ICRC
INTELSAT
ILO
IBRD
IMF
ICAO
IMO
ITALY
ITALIAN
IRAQI
ITRA
ISRAELI
ICJ
IACI
INTERPOL
ID
IV
ICTY
IQ
IPR
INRB
ITPHUM
IIP
IL
IA
INR
ITPGOV
IZPREL
IRC
INRA
INRO
IRAJ
IEFIN
IF
KE
KCRM
KDRG
KIPR
KCOR
KSCA
KBIO
KDEM
KMCA
KMPI
KNNP
KJUS
KOMC
KGHG
KSUM
KSTC
KIRF
KTIP
KWMN
KZ
KG
KTFN
KHLS
KPAO
KFRD
KTIA
KOLY
KCFE
KISL
KFLU
KPKO
KWBG
KTBT
KTDB
KOCI
KUNR
KAWK
KICC
KPAL
KSTH
KN
KS
KGIC
KNPP
KWAC
KMDR
KAWC
KBCT
KIDE
KFLO
KWMNCS
KSEP
KU
KNEI
KVPR
KACT
KRAD
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KCIP
KSAF
KV
KSPR
KPRP
KFSC
KCRS
KR
KRFD
KX
KO
KPWR
KMIG
KSEC
KIFR
KDEMAF
KFIN
KGCC
KPIN
KHIV
KPLS
KIRC
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KGIT
KBTS
KPRV
KBTR
KERG
KWMM
KRVC
KNSD
KVIR
KNUP
KTER
KDDG
KHSA
KMRS
KHDP
KTLA
KPAK
KNAR
KREL
KPAI
KTEX
KCOM
KNNPMNUC
KPOA
KLIG
KHUM
KDEV
KNUC
KCFC
KREC
KOMS
KWWMN
MASS
MP
MARR
MOPS
MNUC
MX
MO
MCAP
MY
ML
MU
MIL
MC
MTRE
MA
MD
MTCRE
MEPI
MAR
MRCRE
MR
MV
MPOS
MZ
MEPP
MOPPS
MAPP
MASC
MT
MERCOSUR
MK
MDC
MI
MAPS
MCC
MASSMNUC
MQADHAFI
MUCN
MTCR
MG
OVIP
OREP
OTRA
OSCE
OECD
OIIP
OEXC
OPCW
OPIC
OPDC
OPRC
ODIP
OVP
OSCI
OAS
OFDP
OTR
OSAC
OIC
OFFICIALS
OIE
PREL
PGOV
PHUM
PTER
PE
PINR
PINS
PARMS
PARM
PHSA
PA
PK
PBTS
PO
PREF
POL
PLN
POLITICS
PROP
PL
PM
PAO
PSI
PG
PEPR
POV
PALESTINIAN
PINT
PSOE
PU
POLITICAL
PARTIES
PBIO
PECON
PAK
POGOV
PINL
PKFK
PMIL
PY
PFOR
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PRAM
PMAR
PGOVLO
PUNE
PORG
PHUMPREL
PF
POLINT
PHUS
PGOC
PNR
PGGV
PNAT
PGOVE
PRGOV
PRL
PROV
PTERE
PGOF
PHUMBA
PINF
PEL
SNAR
SO
SENV
SU
SCUL
SOCI
SP
SC
SA
SMIG
SAN
SZ
SW
SN
SY
SR
SL
SEVN
SF
SYR
SI
SG
STEINBERG
SIPRS
SH
SNARCS
SOFA
SANC
SHUM
SK
ST
TERRORISM
TRGY
TZ
TX
TBIO
TSPA
TS
TSPL
TW
TU
TD
TIP
TURKEY
TP
TI
TC
TPHY
TH
TO
TK
TNGD
TINT
TRSY
TR
TFIN
TT
UG
UK
UP
UNGA
UNHRC
UZ
UN
UNAUS
USTR
UNSC
US
UNEP
UY
UNESCO
USUN
UNHCR
UAE
UNMIK
USEU
UV
UNO
UNDP
UNCHS
UNVIE
UNCHC
UE
UNDESCO
USAID
UNDC
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 08LONDON2486, SCENESETTER FOR CODEL SHELBY'S OCTOBER 10-12 VISIT TO LONDON
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08LONDON2486.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
08LONDON2486 | 2008-09-30 14:02 | 2011-02-04 21:09 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy London |
VZCZCXRO5013
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHLO #2486/01 2741426
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301426Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9943
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LONDON 002486
H FOR CODEL SHELBY
SENSITIVE SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EFIN KTFN UK
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR CODEL SHELBY'S OCTOBER 10-12 VISIT TO LONDON
Summary -------
1.(SBU) The UK economy is reeling from the effects of the global economic crisis, with housing prices falling even faster and further than in the United States. The UK economy continues to slide into recession with negative GDP growth forecast for the second semester of 2008. Inflation, fueled by energy, food, and import prices, is projected to hit 5 percent. Prime Minister Brown has been personally engaged in trying to mitigate the effects on the UK economy and to hammer out global solutions. Brown met with the President September 26 to discuss the global economic crisis and appropriate U.S./UK government responses. On the margins on the UN General Assembly Meeting in New York, Brown also met with various heads of state and leaders of the financial sector to explore options for intervention. He has publicly called for the creation of an international financial watchdog, whose goals would be to increase transparency, improve cooperation with regulators, create better early-warning systems, and shore up credit-rating agencies duties. UK officials would be greatly interested in hearing the details of the U.S financial support package.
2.(SBU) The bleak economic picture has weakened the embattled Prime Minister, who has seen his poll numbers drop significantly over the past year. The PM did however manage to reassert his leadership during the recent Labour Party Conference. Labour received an immediate bounce from the annual event, with poll ratings jumping to 31 percent from 17, while the Conservatives dropped from 50 to 41 percent. (The Conservative Party holds its Congress this week so Labour's gains might be short-lived.) As Chancellor, Brown imposed strict limits on deficit spending to control public debt, but Labour policies during the past ten years of economic growth now leave little room for fiscal stimulus without abandoning these limits.
3.(SBU) The British government strongly supports U.S. anti-terrorist finance efforts, but has resource constraints and legal limitations which obstruct it from being as proactive as the USG would like. End Summary
The Meeting with the President ------------------------------
4.(SBU) PM Brown was to raise with the President his idea for an international financial watchdog, to be set up through an existing entity such as the G-20. Brown attended the UN General Assembly in New York and gave a speech calling for coordinated international action to resolve the financial crisis. While in New York, Brown discussed this and other ideas for a global response to the financial crisis with world leaders (Spain, Italy, EU, Australia, Brazil) and with Wall Street titans (George Soros, BlackRock, Blackstone.) So far it appears that Brown's proposals have not gained much traction.
Difficult Times for PM Brown ----------------------------
¶5. (SBU) PM Gordon Brown appears to have successfully reasserted his leadership of the Labour Party and bought himself some time against possible leadership challengers following the Labour Party Fall Conference in Manchester September 20-24. Reaction to Brown's September 23 speech, billed in advance as the "speech of his life," was well received by delegates in Manchester. Attendees told Embassy London officials they thought the PM hit all the right notes and successfully managed to put the Conservative Party on the defensive going into its conference starting on September 29, especially over Tory lack of recent economic experience. Although Brown has refused to comment publicly on a possible Cabinet reshuffle, media reports he could announce a new Cabinet lineup on October 2 or 3, just after the Tory Party conference ends.
¶6. (SBU) Although PM Gordon Brown has recently gained ground in the polls, he does not have nearly the latitude Tony Blair had to take on a major new foreign policy commitment or personally lead the UK public to support a difficult foreign policy decision such as a new commitment of UK troops abroad. The British public is also very skeptical about new foreign commitments and uncertain about medium-term outcomes in Afghanistan. Although the Iraq War has faded from the domestic political landscape with Blair's resignation, the war has almost no popular support. Afghanistan is still considered the "good war" in comparison to Iraq, and UK military engagement has cross-party support in Parliament. Nonetheless, Afghanistan is also increasingly viewed in the UK media as a complicated, uncertain venture with no clear end, especially as British military deaths have spiked over the past year.
The Financial Crisis in the UK ------------------------------
¶7. (SBU) The global financial crisis has reverberated in the UK, LONDON 00002486 002 OF 002 with home prices having fallen about 11 percent since their peak, and inflation at a ten-year high. Thousands of employees in the financial services sector have lost their jobs as a result of the crisis. Because the UK financial service industry in recent years has provided around 20% of the UK government's tax revenues, the faltering financial market will significantly reduce the government's tax receipts.
¶8. (SBU) GDP growth in the UK was 0.0 per cent in the second quarter of 2008, the worst quarter in 16 years. Inflation hit 4.7% in August, and the Bank of England predicts it will rise to 5% by the end of the year. Employment numbers remain relatively stable, but unemployment has ticked up to 5.5%. The Bank of England is faced with the tough choice of combating inflation or attempting to spur economic growth.
¶9. (SBU) The PM and his economic team have been criticized for a perceived failure to address the concerns of the average citizen, and many have speculated that the PM is politically vulnerable. The PM's speech to Labour party officials, in which he underscored that he was the right person to be at the helm during a financial crisis, has given him some breathing room to turn poll numbers around. To date, the Labour Government has nationalized two large banks (Northern Rock and Bradford and Bingley), but has not proposed widespread structural support or reform measures to shore up the financial sector, though several smaller measures have been adopted. BOE has supported dollar money markets through a recent $40 billion overnight facility. The UK government followed the U.S. lead in banning the short-selling of stocks, and has created a liquidity scheme.
¶10. (U) The government gave its consent to Barclay's recently announced agreement to purchase HBOS, the UK's largest mortgage lender. A year ago, such a merger would have been unthinkable on competition grounds, but the risk to the stability of the UK financial system posed by HBOS trumped competition rules. To ensure that a Barclays/HBOS deal could be reached quickly, Secretary for Business, John Hutton, took the extraordinary step of announcing the government's intention to intervene "in the public interest" and override UK competition law. A government intervention will require legislation, which will not be considered until Parliament resumes on October 6.
UK Reaction to Events in the U.S. ---------------------------------
¶11. (SBU) The Labour government has been closely watching actions in Washington. Senior Treasury officials told us approval of a financial support package in Washington was essential to calming the markets globally. With Barclays and Lloyds having significant market share in the U.S., the eligibility of UK financial institutions to the proposed $700 billion facility was on PM Brown's agenda with President Bush. On September 20, Brown said that he would seek support from the USG to have $8 billion returned to Lehman UK from Lehman New York, transferred on the eve of Lehman New York's collapse. The PM has indicated that the money would be used to pay final salaries to UK-based employees.
Terrorist Finance -----------------
¶12. (SBU) The UK remains our primary and most reliable ally on terrorist finance issues. Our goals and ideals are very similar, and we openly share information and coordinate on individual designations and overall strategy. The UK's domestic asset-freezing regime, however, has been challenged by the High Court (trial court), and HM Treasury has argued to maintain their system in the Court of Appeals. A decision is due soon, and will assist the British government in determining their red-lines in modifying the EU's asset-freezing regime, which has also been partially challenged by a European Court of Justice decision. Due to resource constraints, and concerns about legal challenges from increasingly assertive UK and European courts, the British government is not as proactive as the USG wishes. They have prioritized their cases to those that have a direct effect on British soil, interests and/or UK citizens. TUTTLE