Foreign Secretary David Lammy has accused critics of the Government’s deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius of “politicking” as Nigel Farage gleefully warns Labour’s plan is “collapsing before our eyes”.
Under the agreement, the UK would relinquish sovereignty over the archipelago but maintain a 99-year lease over Anglo-American airbase Diego Garcia.
Addressing MPs at the Foreign Affairs Committee, Lammy defended the deal.
He said: “I’m sad that there’s been so much politicking about this.”
Lammy added that the agreement was a “very good deal” for “our national security” because it secured the legal basis of the Diego Garcia military base.
However, Farage appeared to welcome Labour facing challenges over its deal.
The Reform UK leader said: “The Chagos deal is collapsing before our eyes. It was always a bad deal for the UK, the USA and the Chagossian people.”
Farage’s intervention comes after it was reported that Sir Keir Starmer is hoping to rush through his deal before Donald Trump returns to the White House on January 20.
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David Cameron backs assisted dying after voting against move as PM
Lord David Cameron has backed the Assisted Dying Bill after previously opposing similar legislation.
Writing about the assisted dying bill in The Times, Lord Cameron said: “As campaigners have convincingly argued, this proposal is not about ending life, it is about shortening death.”
Cameron was previously concerned that “vulnerable people could be pressured into hastening their own deaths” but now believes the bill contains “sufficient safeguards” to prevent this.
The former Prime Minister’s intervention comes after Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss voiced opposition to the move.