UK politics live: Furious Chagos Islands row erupts as Tories accused of risking losing key air base in courts

Chagossians lament UK-Mauritius deal for not including them in negotiations

Minister says accepting freebies is different in government

A furious row has erupted between Labour and the Conservatives over a deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Sir Keir Starmer’s government has announced that Britain will return the territory but will still have sovereignty over the Diego Garcia military base in the Pacific Ocean.

But the Conservatives have condemned the decision, with Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick accusing Sir Keir Starmer of “surrendering” Britain’s strategic interests.

Former foreign secretary James Cleverly has also joined the backlash, branding Sir Keir Starmer “weak, weak, weak” despite being behind the first negotiations over the agreement when he was in cabinet.

A Labour source hit back accusing Rishi Sunak’s administration of putting the key UK-US base on Diego Garcia at risk during their negotiations.

They branded the territorial dispute a “legal car crash” left by the previous government which was “damaging the UK and the US’ national security”.

It comes as Boris Johnson revealed how he dismissed warnings over Dominic Cummings and the Barnard Castle row as “lefty journalists angry over Brexit”.

In his new book ‘Unleashed’, the former prime minister explained why he refused to sack his then-political adviser despite his infamous trip at the peak of the pandemic.

Key Points

• UK to hand over secretive Chagos Islands to Mauritius
• Furious Tories condemn Starmer’s Chagos deal
• Chagossians ‘deplore’ UK-Mauritius deal for being excluded from negotiations
• Boris Johnson dismissed Barnard Castle row as 'lefty journalists angry over Brexit'
• Practising Hindu Sunak was offended by Johnson’s rhetoric

[3 October 2024 05:30 · Salma Ouaguira]

Cleverly refuses to disown Truss tax chaos three times

Tory leadership contender James Cleverly refused three times to disown the economic chaos which took place under Liz Truss’ leadership after his plan to scrap stamp duty on house sales was likened to policies introduced by the former prime minister.

The pledge, which he said would cost £10 billion, was compared in a radio interview to the disastrous tax cuts introduced by Ms Truss’ government.

Mishal Hussain, host of BBC Radio 4 Today claimed the move was “the kind of thing” the former prime minister - who resigned just 49 days after taking office - had done.

You can read the full story below:

[3 October 2024 05:00 · Salma Ouaguira]

Councils warn Chancellor of widespread bankruptcies without funding boost

Councils say they are “staring down the barrel” financially, as new analysis suggests they will be limited to being “little more than care services” by the end of this Parliament without a boost to resources.

In another dire warning of the perilous state of local government finances, the study found that without extra funding, ministers will have to “radically rethink” councils’ statutory responsibilities, to prevent potentially six in ten county and unitary authorities in rural areas declaring bankruptcy by 2028.

Ministers have repeatedly warned of difficult choices because of a £22 billion black hole they say officials have discovered in the public finances, leading to concerns that Chancellor Rachel Reeves could stick with spending plans which would provide limited relief for under-pressure councils when she delivers her Budget on 30 October.

In its submission to the Budget and Spending Review, the County Councils Network (CCN) cited analysis showing all local authorities in England combined would experience a cumulative £54 billion funding shortfall over the five-year period of this Parliament, based on current projections.

For the 37 CCN councils, which serve nearly half of the population, the funding gap amounted to £20.3 billion.

The huge shortfall was identified as being largely driven by rising demand and costs in just three service areas: adult social care, children’s services and home-to-school transport for children with special education needs and disabilities (Send).

Together these services were found to account for 83 per cent of the total increase in projected costs by 2030.

[3 October 2024 00:00 · Salma Ouaguira]