So often the twice-daily Downing Street briefings are all about nuance. It's not what the prime minister's official spokesman tells journalists, it's what he doesn't. Officials chose their words with care. It is rare to get a definitive yes or no answer that might some day box the government into a corner.
Interesting then that the PM's spokesman was so unequivocal this morning when asked whether the timing of Bank of England's surprise announcement of a 0.5% cut in interest rates yesterday – after the prime minister's press conference and just moments before PMQs - was really a coincidence.
"Yes, absolutely," came the reply. "It was an international response. You will have to ask the central banks for the exact timing. My guess is that it was when all the relevant parties were awake in different time zones."
