Tories plot to 'hammer nail in coffin' of Chagos deal within hours as crunch Washington meeting could prove fatal for Keir Starmer's 'surrender' pact Sir Keir Starmer’s £35billion Chagos deal faces a “relentless” challenge after a top Tory told GB News she intends to put the “nail in the coffin” of the Prime Minister’s handover of the Indian Ocean archipelago. Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel is jetting off to Washington tomorrow to meet with senior officials in Donald Trump’s administration. Dame Priti’s trip comes after concerted efforts by Tory veteran Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to encourage the White House to move against the Prime Minister’s deal. The Witham MP, who is also scheduled to discuss the significance of the special relationship at the Hudson Institute next Wednesday, made clear to GB News that she will “keep fighting against the deal until it is scrapped once and for all”. Speaking to The People’s Channel ...
Starmer’s obsession with international law has reduced Britain’s utility as an ally Daily Telegraph 19/02/26 Starmer is now in a real bind over the Chagos Islands Credit: Reuters In blocking US forces from using RAF airbases to bomb Iran, Sir Keir Starmer has surpassed himself. The Government is reportedly concerned that facilitating strikes could be a breach of international law. As a result, it has diminished the ability of the United States to conduct combat operations, reduced Britain’s utility as an ally and demolished Sir Keir’s flagship Chagos policy. It is an outstanding illustration of the legalistic, process-driven approach of the Prime Minister. One of the earliest actions in office of Sir Keir, and his Attorney General Richard Hermer, was the revision of Britain’s attitude to international law. The result has been paralysis, with the state effectively unable to act within the constraints it has imposed upon itself. From Sir Keir’s decision on the use of RAF bases, it...