Farage claims Trump team ‘appalled’ by Chagos Islands deal and that it would collapse like deal with China over Hong Kong did
Back in the Commons, Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader and Donald Trump ally, has renewed his claim that the Trump team are strongly opposed to the UK’s decision to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Speaking during the Commons urgent question on the topic, he said:
I have been contacted by very senior officials and advisers from the incoming Republican administration, and every single one of them is appalled at this deal. They know the leasehold agreement [under which the UK would retain effective control of Diego Garcia, the main island on the Chagos Islands, housing the UK-US airbase, for at least 99 years] will not survive, just as the deal with China over Hong Kong did not survive.
Hasn’t the time come the government to admit this is a rotten deal for the UK, a rotten deal for America and an even worse deal for the Chagossians.
And if you care so much about the sovereignty of the Falklands being in the hands of the Falkland Islanders, why not have a referendum of the Chagossians and ask them to settle who should have sovereignty over those islands?
In response, Luke Pollard, the defence minister, accused Farage of “whipping up uncertainty” about the future of the Falkland Islands. And he said that when Americans examined the detal of the deal, they would see it secured the future of the Diego Garcia base.
Key events
In the Commons Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, is making a statement about immigration. It follows the publication of new net migration figures last week, and the announcement of a deal with Iraq designed to reduce irregular migration from that country.
Tim Leunig, an economist and an adviser to the last government in various roles, has posted this on Bluesky about the new cabinet secretary, Chris Wormald.
Delighted that Chris Wormald has been appointed as Cabinet Secretary. Clever, committed, strategic, principled and with a good understanding of politicians.
Farage claims Trump team ‘appalled’ by Chagos Islands deal and that it would collapse like deal with China over Hong Kong did
Back in the Commons, Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader and Donald Trump ally, has renewed his claim that the Trump team are strongly opposed to the UK’s decision to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Speaking during the Commons urgent question on the topic, he said:
I have been contacted by very senior officials and advisers from the incoming Republican administration, and every single one of them is appalled at this deal. They know the leasehold agreement [under which the UK would retain effective control of Diego Garcia, the main island on the Chagos Islands, housing the UK-US airbase, for at least 99 years] will not survive, just as the deal with China over Hong Kong did not survive.
Hasn’t the time come the government to admit this is a rotten deal for the UK, a rotten deal for America and an even worse deal for the Chagossians.
And if you care so much about the sovereignty of the Falklands being in the hands of the Falkland Islanders, why not have a referendum of the Chagossians and ask them to settle who should have sovereignty over those islands?
In response, Luke Pollard, the defence minister, accused Farage of “whipping up uncertainty” about the future of the Falkland Islands. And he said that when Americans examined the detal of the deal, they would see it secured the future of the Diego Garcia base.
Chris Wormald was permanent secretary at the Deparment for Education before he moved to the Department of Health and Social Care. Luke Tryl, the More in Common UK director, worked with him at the DfE and he thinks Wormald will be a good cabinet secretary.
FWIW i think Chris Wormald is a good Cabinet Secretary to do this, having worked with him in DfE, he’s someone who has the experience/safe pair of hands, but can also do big reform (as DfE showed) – mistake is to think it’s one or the other.
— Luke Tryl (@LukeTryl) December 2, 2024
Sam Freedman, the Prospect columnist and Comment is Freed Substack commentator, also worked as an official at the DfE when Wormald was there. He has posted his take on the new cabinet secretary on Bluesky.
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Tories claims rushing through Chagos Islands deal ahead of Trump becoming president ‘hugely disrespectful’
Cartlidge is responding to the opening statement.
He says the government is trying to finalise the deal before President Trump is in post.
But Marco Rubio, who Trump wants to appoint as secretary of state, has said the deal poses a threat to US security, he says.
Cartlidge says the new government in Mauritius also wants a review of the deal.
He says trying to rush this deal through is “hugely disrespectful” to the incoming Trump administration.
Pollard repeats the point about all parts of the US governmment backing the deal.
It would not have been possible to secure a deal and the support of the United States if all parts of the US security apparatus were not in support of this deal.
All US government departments and agencies back UK’s deal over future of Chagos Islands, MPs told
In the Commons James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, asks an urgent question about the impact of the transfer of sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius on UK-US defence relations.
Luke Pollard, a defence minister, is responding. He says the deal is “strongly supported” by the US, including all relevant departments and agencies.
Sarah Sackman promoted to justice minister, and Lucy Rigby appointed solicitor general
Downing Street has announced a mini-reshuffle to fill a gap created by the promotion of Heidi Alexander to transport secretary on Friday.
Alexander was a justice minister before being appointed to replace Louise Haigh in cabinet following Haigh’s resignation.
Today Downing Street has announced that Sarah Sackman will replace Alexander as a minister of state in the Minstry of Justice, responsible for courts and legal services. Sackman was solicitor general.
And the Labour MP Lucy Rigby joins the government as solicitor general.
No 10 has also announced that Ellie Reeves, the Cabinet Office minister and Labour party chair, will start attending cabinet.
Rayner dismisses claim government plan to build 1.5m homes over five years unrealistic
Angela Rayner, the deputy PM and housing secretary, has dismissed claims that the government’s plan to build 1.5m new homes over five years is unrealistic.
She spoke during housing questions in the Commons after Paul Holmes, a shadow housing minister, asked her about a BBC report saying many councils have told the government they do not think its target can be achieved.
Holmes said:
In just five months we can see that this government’s target of 1.5m new homes lies in tatters. The NHF (National Housing Federation) say the government will miss their target by 475,000 without more grant.
The housing minister [Matthew Pennycook] last week said the same and now Labour-run South Tyneside council say the plans are ‘wholly unrealistic’ with other Labour councils agreeing.
Isn’t it time that the government admitted defeat, come back with a deliverable plan, and provide the sector with the certainty it needs to deliver more social homes across this country?
And Rayner replied:
[Holmes] has forgotten – his government failed to meet their housing targets every single time. This government is committed to building the 1.5m homes over this parliament.
Under the Tories, housebuilding plummeted as they bowed to pressure from their backbenchers to scrap local housing targets. We’re bringing back mandatory housing targets. The chancellor [Rachel Reeves] has put more money into the affordable homes programme and we will build those homes.
He doesn’t know my history and how I work.
As Peter Walker writes in his story about the appointment of Chris Wormald as the new cabinet secretary, Wormald was “arguably the most traditional and low-key” of the four candidates on the shortlist of the job.
Olly Robbins, who oversaw Brexit negotiations under Theresa May before leaving the civil service, was seen as a possible favourite. Also in the frame were Antonia Romeo, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Justice, and Tamara Finkelstein, who holds the same role in the environment department.
Peter also says Wormald’s record on pandemic planning may not have helped his chances.
Some evidence from the official inquiry into Covid has linked Wormald, who gave evidence to the inquiry in November last year, to what was seen as a wider prevailing complacency that the UK was well prepared for any pandemic.
Pippa Crerar, the Guardian’s political editor, says some people think Wormald is not the obvious choice for a PM wanting to rewire the British state. (See 1.37pm.)
Some eyebrows raised over Starmer’s appointment of Wormald, who has been a civil servant since 1991, to deliver the “complete rewiring of the British state” he says is needed to deliver ambitious long-term reform.
(One counter-view is that a classic civil servant is better placed to do this, and take Whitehall with him, than an explosive character like Dominic Cummings.)
Lord Bethell, who worked with Chris Wormald at the Department of Health and Social Care when he was a minister there in the last government, has posted this on social media praising the new cabinet secretary.
When the killer zombies invade, I’d like Chris Wormald at my back. A great civil servant and total mensch. Shrewd choice by Starmer.
