Nigel Farage to discuss Chagos Islands deal at Mar-a-Lago dinner with Donald Trump tonight
In the latest example of Nigel Farage doing absolutely anything rather than spend time in his Clacton constituency, the Reform UK leader is to meet Donald Trump for dinner at Mar-a-Lago tonight, where he says he will discuss the Chagos Islands deal.
Attending a ‘Save Chagos Boat Party’ yesterday, Farage said he would be flying to Florida to dine with the US president on Friday, GB News reported.
He said:
We think this is the central plan for this government’s foreign policy and we are beating them back.
President Trump has almost understood the deal, but I will be dining at Mar-a-Lago tomorrow night and we will reinforce the message.
Trump changed his mind on supporting the Chagos Islands deal because the UK will not permit its airbases to be used for a pre-emptive US strike on Iran.
In his latest change of heart on the deal, the US president said on social media that Keir Starmer was “making a big mistake” by handing sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius in exchange for continued use by the UK and US of their airbase on one of the islands, Diego Garcia.
Farage earlier this week called for the UK to join Trump’s war in Iran, a view that is wildly at odds with British voters, according to the latest YouGov polling (only 29% support the joint US-Israeli strikes).
Key events
Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch this morning reinforced that she would support Royal Air Force jets striking Iranian missile launch sites.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, she said:
That is the right thing to do. Otherwise, we are allowing our service personnel to be put in danger. We have to think about them.
Badenoch added:
If this was a nuclear attack, God forbid, it would be too late.
You can’t always wait for people to attack you. Sometimes you have to make sure that you get there first to stop their ability to hurt your citizens.
She said she would like to see a “de-escalation”, but said:
We are in this war whether we like it or not because we have put bases in other people’s countries and we need to protect them.
And what I’m worried about is that our government looks afraid to do anything and just wants to sort of make it go away, and we need to be stronger than that.
Nigel Farage to discuss Chagos Islands deal at Mar-a-Lago dinner with Donald Trump tonight
In the latest example of Nigel Farage doing absolutely anything rather than spend time in his Clacton constituency, the Reform UK leader is to meet Donald Trump for dinner at Mar-a-Lago tonight, where he says he will discuss the Chagos Islands deal.
Attending a ‘Save Chagos Boat Party’ yesterday, Farage said he would be flying to Florida to dine with the US president on Friday, GB News reported.
He said:
We think this is the central plan for this government’s foreign policy and we are beating them back.
President Trump has almost understood the deal, but I will be dining at Mar-a-Lago tomorrow night and we will reinforce the message.
Trump changed his mind on supporting the Chagos Islands deal because the UK will not permit its airbases to be used for a pre-emptive US strike on Iran.
In his latest change of heart on the deal, the US president said on social media that Keir Starmer was “making a big mistake” by handing sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius in exchange for continued use by the UK and US of their airbase on one of the islands, Diego Garcia.
Farage earlier this week called for the UK to join Trump’s war in Iran, a view that is wildly at odds with British voters, according to the latest YouGov polling (only 29% support the joint US-Israeli strikes).
Mahmood defends asylum reform plans amid backbench criticism
The home secretary has defended her plans for asylum reform after one backbencher said she was mimicking Donald Trump and another claimed it could lead to a Windrush-style scandal.
Shabana Mahmood announced her plans on Thursday, including an end to permanent refugee status and the removal of government support from asylum seekers who are deemed not to need it or who break the law.
She also launched a pilot project to pay 150 families whose asylum claims had been rejected up to £40,000 each to voluntarily leave the country or face forcible removal.
Speaking to Trevor Phillips on Sky News last night, she said:
This is about immigration enforcement and it’s about being in a process where you are able to enforce your rules.
If you don’t do that, the flip side is you just end up picking up the tab for hundreds of families, hundreds of thousands of pounds per family every single year.
And it is the taxpayer in the end that’s paying the price of that.
She added:
Otherwise you might as well say to everybody, there’s no rules enforced at all. It’s an open border situation. And I don’t think that has public support either.
Lammy calls for investigation into National Security Council leaks
David Lammy also said there should be an investigation into leaks from a National Security Council meeting which revealed splits in the cabinet over allowing the US to use British bases for strikes against Iran.
The Spectator reported that Keir Starmer suggested allowing the US to use the bases to carry out defensive strikes against Iranian targets at a meeting last Friday but was met with opposition from Ed Miliband, Rachel Reeves, Yvette Cooper and Shabana Mahmood.
Permission to allow the bases to be used against Iran’s missile sites was only granted on Sunday after Tehran had launched a wave of retaliatory attacks against countries across the Middle East.
Lammy told Sky News:
I don’t recognise those reports and I have to say I think it is a travesty that any anyone should report from a National Security Council… because of course it puts British lives at risk and I hope that is properly investigated.
RAF jets could legally strike Iran’s missile bases, says Lammy
Hello and welcome to the UK politics blog.
Royal Air Force jets could legally strike Iranian missile sites being used to attack British interests in the Middle East, David Lammy has said this morning.
The deputy prime minister stressed that F-35 and Typhoon jets were currently only shooting down missiles and drones fired by Iran at allies in the region.
But he said there was a legal basis for them to do more and strike directly at the Iranian bases being used to launch attacks.
The UK has already given the US permission to use British bases to carry out defensive strikes against Iran’s missile facilities.
He told BBC Breakfast:
It is entirely legal to protect our people and protect our staff, and therefore all operational capability is available to us in those circumstances.
He said the UK had the satellite and intelligence capability to identify Iranian sites.
Asked if the UK could fire at an Iranian base in anticipation of it launching an attack, he said:
It is my understanding that that would be legal.
In other developments:
-
The UK is sending four additional Typhoon jets to Qatar, as well as Wildcat helicopters with anti-drone capabilities being sent to Cyprus, Keir Starmer said in a press conference yesterday. He said the US has been allowed to use British airfields to carry out defensive missions and that HMS Dragon is heading for the Mediterranean.
-
Kemi Badenoch has said the UK should take offensive action against Iran after UK bases were attacked. “We need to do what we can to stop the ability for these attacks to take place,” the Tory leader told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
-
Shabana Mahmood put herself on a collision course with Labour MPs after announcing a set of changes to the immigration system that one backbencher said mimicked Donald Trump and another claimed would lead to a Windrush-style scandal. The home secretary announced her plans on Thursday, including an end to permanent refugee status and the removal of government support from asylum seekers who are deemed not to need it or who break the law.
-
A small number of asylum seekers whose claims are rejected will be offered an “increased incentive payment” of £10,000 per person and up to £40,000 per family to leave Britain under a pilot scheme, Mahmood said. The home secretary said the government would seek to echo reforms introduced in Denmark, where she said there had been “great success” in using incentives.
-
The husband of a Labour MP and two other men have been released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of spying for China. David Taylor, who is married to the Scottish Labour MP Joani Reid, is accused of assisting a foreign intelligence service.
-
Nigel Farage has described May’s Senedd elections as a “referendum” on Keir Starmer, as Reform UK gears up to battle Plaid Cymru for the chance to end a century of Labour dominance in Wales. Launching Reform’s election manifesto in Newport on Thursday alongside the party’s newly appointed Welsh leader, Dan Thomas, Farage said: “It’s a Welsh election, but I’m afraid, whether you like it or not, it doubles up as a referendum on Keir Starmer’s premiership.”