Let me return to the madness of the government wanting to give these islands away to Mauritius and then to pay a large annual sum to rent back the naval base at Diego Garcia. Talks have resumed between the U.K. and the new Mauritius government over how much money we need to pay
The government should tell the new Mauritius Administration that they are not now proceeding. The protests of Chagos islanders living in the U.K. and elsewhere against Gifting to Mauritius has swayed with them. The deteriorating U.K. budget position thanks to the collapse of growth in the U.K. also means we cannot afford this policy.
Mauritius is more than 1000 miles Ā from Chagos. Mauritius never owned them. Mauritius is a friend of China. Mauritius could put people and activities on the other islands that impeded use of the naval base.
The advisory international law opinion made little sense. The only people who have a real case against the U.K. are the islanders who were moved away when the base was expanded. Many of them are now U.K. or Seychelles citizens . They are not proposing Mauritius ownership.
President Trump will doubtless be worried by the transfer of the freehold of Ā a crucial US base from the U.K. to Mauritius. Sir Kier says he wants to get on well with President Trump. Why not remove this disagreement from the list. The Chancellor could also celebrate at another large bill no longer falling due.
November 26, 2024
First Chago
Second Falklands
Third Gibraltar
Then anything else that could weaken or destabilise Britain
There is no end to this madness, giving money to farmers abroad whilst robbing UK farmers
Billions to mitigate alleged climate change abroad whilst freezing UK pensioners.
There’s a definite pattern emerging.
November 26, 2024
Starmer is polishing his anti colonial / commonwealth credentials. In doing so he jeopodises our relationship with the USA, promotes the expansion of chinese influence, and denies the Chagosians, already sinned against, a return to their ancestral home. Just to add jus to the hypocrocy he compels the UK tax payer to pay for it. This charlaton has no place in UK politics, he endangers us by his very presence.
November 26, 2024
@agricola – but they still belong to the Chagos Islands people. Running rough shod over people instead of working with them is more than shabby its criminal, maybe the unaccountable ICC should step in and issue an arrest warrant for Starmer
November 26, 2024
Good morning.
Why not just give the islands to the USA ? At least they want them.
November 26, 2024
Sensible off piste suggestion.
November 26, 2024
Why not sell the Islands to them?
Joking aside, does the US pay us for their base there currently? If so, it’s a double whammy (or should that be Lammy?) . We lose the income and start paying out rent instead.
November 26, 2024
Indeed Mauritius likely to effectively sell them to China what would the āleaseā agreement be worth then? As we saw with Pattonās Hong Kong deal. But clearly the F/O were planning this even under the Tories with the dire & not so Cleverly. It must surely be reversed.
November 26, 2024
Matthew Lynn today.
āThe Trump stock market surge is Kamala Harrisā final humiliation
The Left is finding out that appointments like Scott Bessent, on top of the anticipation of tax cuts, can revive animal spirits.
The Left, including its recent standard bearer Kamala Harris, is once again being reminded that economic growth depends on confidence among businesses, and appetite for risk among entrepreneurs, far more than it does on the government ā and by recognising that, Trump has already triggered a revival that will carry well into the new year.ā
Alas in the UK the first female Chancellor has delivered an absurdly anti-growth, anti-confidence budget with the lunacy of zealot net zero lunacy on top. 4+ more years of this all thanks to Sunak, Boris, May, Cameronā¦
November 26, 2024
Reeves told the CBI yesterday that her budget was good for jobs and growth and she wouldn’t come back later in this Parliament for further tax rises or further borrowing. That’s what we’re up against.
November 26, 2024
They quite like making commitments that they must know they are unlikely to keep (or maybe they just think we have very short memories). Red Rachel’s current budget assumes growth, which in practice seems unlikely. When the assumed extra tax revenues fail to arrive, she’s going to have to either cut expense or raise taxes again.
I wonder what she will choose? It’s a tough one question! š
November 26, 2024
What on earth has her gender got to do with it? Will this entrenched attitude towards women never end? She is a PERSON who happens to be Chancellor.
November 26, 2024
Agreed. I hope thi ‘government’ are listening but I fear that they are tin-eared and will do considerable damage to this country woith this measure as with everything else they seem to touch
November 26, 2024
DP,
Yes, “tin eared” or not “normal” as described in the next post.
The massive petition for a general election will be shrugged off or ignored too.
Starmer will probably think the critics have the problem like the people who laughed at his tool maker speech.
November 26, 2024
Keir-Ching! and Lammy just want to virtue-signal to the world. History, money, security …. nothing matters to them except posturing to various Globalist Acronym Organisations and polishing their anti-colonialism, pro International Socialism credentials.
The protests of the Chagossians would be a bit embarrassing to a “normal” PM but we haven’t got a “normal” one, which his behaviour makes perfectly clear.
I hope Trump makes his/the USA’s position very, very clear to our disgraceful PM.
November 26, 2024
Totally agree.
But do not expect this Government to change this decision that seriously affects our future security.
I find the decisions of the ‘International Courts’ often show a bias rather than adjudicate on the facts. Thus bringing themselves into disrepute.
November 26, 2024
Sir John, far from 2TK Starmer wanting to forge closer better relations with the new incoming president Trump, he seems to be determined to continue on with Chagos and quickly, He seems to be in a hurry so the give away is advanced beyond the point of cancellation, before Trump actually takes office and can veto the nonsense via sanctions.
November 26, 2024
@Rod Evans – He is in a very Starmer, Labour way lying to force the UK back under the control of the unelected unaccountable Bureaucrats that run the EU. There can be know other reason for all this spiteful out pouring from them. He (Starmer) has spent the last 4 years fighting and ensuring the UK doesn’t get to leave the EU.
November 26, 2024
This does indeed seem to be an odd arrangement but let us not forget, like so much that is wrong with this country, it began under the Conservatives. Why even discuss it?
This zealous, doctrinal Labour administration is in place because the Conservative abandoned Conservatism. Sometimes things must get worse to get better. This is our anti socialism medicine.
Reply FCO officials put it to Conservative Ministers. David Cameron rightly turned it down
November 26, 2024
So this began as an FCO initiative!
You would think the civil service were there to provide wise heads to advise the government not to make foolish decisions, but in this case their folly equals the PM’s.
Time to drain the swamp.
November 26, 2024
R to R
But it was James Cleverly MP when Foreign Sectrtary who first initiated talks with Mauritias. This who thing started on their watch.
Reply And ruled out by Cameron so recpresented to Lammy who fell for it.
November 26, 2024
The proposed Chagos island decision is symptomatic of the utter incompetence of this completely useless Labour government.
November 26, 2024
+1
November 26, 2024
Don’t know why you keep this blog going if everything that government says/ does annoys you so much. Personally I don’t give two hoots about the Chagos although i am aware of the removal of the people from Diego Garcia being a merchant seaman in the 1960’s and 1970’s I sailed the Indian Ocean. Just put government action down to a little housekeeping tidying up at the end of Empire Days and don’t get too concerned about Trump – nobody knows yet how all of that is going to work out – he’s clearly ‘nuts’ and thankfully we do not have any kind of relationship with him – Trump will act in his own interest – our economic future lay with the EU but we blew it.
November 26, 2024
Have we ever heard how much we are paying per year to Mauritius after we’ve gifted them the Chagos ? Last I saw there was a suggestion that the agreement itself prohibited that being made public which may not be correct but wouldn’t surprise me.
November 26, 2024
The government has already made a mess of foreign policy without needing to add to it. They are undermining Brexit and its potential, they have immaturely insulted the President of the United States and they are considering singling Britain out for reparations next year for past slavery of which we are no more responsible than every other country or tribe on earth who engaged in it. Indeed we ended it!!
The only reason I think they have added to this failure, by giving away the Chagos Islands against their will, is their mentality. The people in the Government are still student activists and not responsible statesmen.
November 26, 2024
Giving away the Chagos islands – Not in the manifesto
Removing the Winter Fuel Allowance – Not in the manifesto
Introducing IHT into farming – Not in the manifesto
Giving away Ā£500 million to foreign governments – Not in the manifesto
Increasing taxes by Ā£40 billion – Not in the manifesto
Allowing Ed Milliband to dream up policies costing Trillions in the idiotic pursuit of ‘net zero’ – Not in the manifesto
“Smashing the gangs” In the manifesto but not happening.
Labour elected by few on the basis of a pack of lies and untold policies. Is it any wonder over 2 Million have stated their desire for another General election?
November 26, 2024
Further examples of inept socialist planning and a lack of concern about giving away our hard earned money for no purpose.
Why didn’t we simply allow the island to be rented from us, allowing some sort of council, working with the UK, to manage those islanders that want to live there?
Surely we don’t need the whole island?
November 26, 2024
Cui bono?
Why is the PM doing this? Who is benefitting from this deal? The Chagossians? The UK? Mauritius? China?
Has an official referendum taken place with the Chagossians so they can decide? Do they want to become Mauritian citizens?
Or should there not be a UK referendum? GEās give Parliament temporary authority only for 5 years. This temporary authority does not give Parliament the authority to give away UK territory permanently. Such a policy requires a referendum so the nation can decide.
BTW, looking at the map the Seychelles, the Maldives and Madagascar are all closer to the Chagos Islands than Mauritius.
Because the Chagos Islands have not been inhabited, apart from the airbase which brings in all its supplies from elsewhere, it now has one of the richest, largest and most diverse marine environments remaining anywhere in the world.
What will happen to this when the Mauritian fishermen arrive?
November 26, 2024
Off topic: From today’s DT:
“Germany has joined a growing backlash against fines for carmakers missing net zero targets as the Government comes under pressure to ease Britainās electric car mandate.
Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, has criticised EU plans to impose steep fines on manufacturers that miss carbon-reduction goals ā saying the companies should instead be able to invest the funds in cutting emissions.
āThe money must remain in the companies for the modernisation of their own industry, their own company,ā Mr Scholz said.The comments add to pressure on net zero mandates, which carmakers have said are becoming increasingly unrealistic as the majority of motorists shun electric cars.
As I said the other day, the Net Zero lunacy project to destroy petrol/diesel car sales, will be stopped by Germany, desperate to protect VW, Mercedes and BMW.
November 26, 2024
If you’re going to make them independant, give the island to the indigenous people of Chagos and not the people of Mauritius
November 26, 2024
It is a stupid decision made by stupid people.
November 26, 2024
Simple, but true !
November 26, 2024
If the people whose Islands these are gets no say, what is the point?
Just because the UK administered the 2 armās length Island groups Mauritius and the Chagos Islands under one UK based administration when they were part of the British Empire didnāt make them one unit. Theyāre more than a thousand miles apart and a different āpeopleā. Even when the UK expelled the Islands citizens only a small percentage went to Mauritius and there they were treated as 2nd class citizens.
The unaccountable UN and 2TKās legal mates are behind this move, even under the UN Theories of a World Government the People of those Islands have a right to self-determination ā they should be the only ones to decide, the only ones to profit. So, they are contradicting themselves seemingly to enhance their own personal self-esteem.