John Battle MP for Leeds West is sorry that he cannot be in Leeds on Thursday to join the send off for the Don't Miss the Bus expedition - a team of eight travelling to Genoa in an old red London bus decorated with Drop the Debt banners, in time for the G7/G8 meeting on 20 -22 July.

John Battle has met Chancellor Gordon Brown and the Secretary of State for International Development Clare Short to discuss the issue. He was able to tell them about the Leeds Jubilee 2000 Network, which brings together churches, voluntary groups and individuals in Leeds to campaign on world debt and development issues.

Gordon Brown and Clare Short told John Battle that this type of local campaigning throughout the country has played a key part in enabling Britain to set the international agenda on debt relief.

John Battle says:

"We now want to see 2001 become the year in which we see a breakthrough in tackling global poverty, and meeting the world's 2015 targets with every child in primary education, avoidable infant mortality cut by two thirds and world poverty halved. Already we in Britain are dropping the debt owed by poor countries, and we realise that it is of mutual benefit to all to give poor countries a real chance to develop health and education programmes. I wish all success to the Don't Miss the Bus campaign, and am only sorry I cannot be there to see them off on Thursday."