Andy Burnham looks well out of his depth. Avoiding any Parliamentary scrutiny and hiding from most journalists he looks thoroughly unprepared for becoming PM in less than two weeks.
He has already done several U turns. He has reversed his support for WASPI women, presumably on hearing the cost He has flip flopped over the fiscal rules though revealed he did not know what they were. He has revised his view of the bond market, now thinking he needs to avoid angering them.
It’s a pity someone says he is not changing policy on the give away of the Chagos and the large sums promised to Mauritius. He needs to study this a bit more. As I set out here the ICJ has no legal power to make us give the islands away. Giving it away means breaking the US/UK Treaty setting up the Diego Garcia base.
I and others raised this yesterday in the Lords. The Minister confirmed they still have worries that Mauritius might not be able to maintain the high environmental standards of the marine protected area . There was no timetable for reinstating this bad policy.
Why can’t Burnham see this is a dreadful waste of money, an undermining of a crucial defence base, a threat to our US allies and a major break in an important Treaty? He should ask the Attorney General to step down for his bad advice. He should uphold the 2024 Manifesto which promised to protect our Overseas territories.