This is a slightly edited extract from an article originally published in The Telegraph on 16th October.
When I was on the Benny Johnson podcast, I described a hypothetical negotiation with President Trump, where I’d guarantee the United States’ use of the Diego Garcia base, in perpetuity, to secure the Falklands.
That hasn’t stopped the old Tory spin machine from trying to lie about what I said, and causing somewhat of a diplomatic incident for Kemi Badenoch along the way. In brief, the latest Kemi lie is that “Nigel Farage wants to give away British sovereignty.” It’s about as credible as when she called me “woke!”
Most people, including the White House, the State Department, and the Department of War, confirmed that they understood my position on Wednesday, and blasted Kemi Badenoch for trying to use this critical national security issue to score domestic political points. Quite right, too. The future of the Chagossian people shouldn’t be used as a political football, and I suspect that deep down, Kemi will feel a sense of shame about what she has done.
But the other reason the Tory attacks don’t pass muster is that this whole debacle started under their watch. In fact it was then foreign secretary, now Kemi Badenoch’s candidate for Mayor of London, James Cleverly, who began the negotiations in earnest.
He told Parliament in November 2022: “The UK and Mauritius have decided to begin negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory/Chagos archipelago.”
He went so far as to say he wanted to arrive “at an agreement by early next year”.
In truth, the whole thing was yet another Tory sellout. Brought to you by the very same party who first agreed to hand Hong Kong over to China. There’s a bit of a pattern here, I’d say. It brings into sharp focus one of the most heinous character traits with which British voters are rightly sick to the teeth: dishonesty.
I make no apologies for it: I want our American allies to be able to use Diego Garcia, in a deal with us that would secure the future not just of the Chagos Islands, but for the Falklands, too.
When I was on the Benny Johnson podcast, I described a hypothetical negotiation with President Trump, where I’d guarantee the United States’ use of the Diego Garcia base, in perpetuity, to secure the Falklands.
That hasn’t stopped the old Tory spin machine from trying to lie about what I said, and causing somewhat of a diplomatic incident for Kemi Badenoch along the way. In brief, the latest Kemi lie is that “Nigel Farage wants to give away British sovereignty.” It’s about as credible as when she called me “woke!”
Most people, including the White House, the State Department, and the Department of War, confirmed that they understood my position on Wednesday, and blasted Kemi Badenoch for trying to use this critical national security issue to score domestic political points. Quite right, too. The future of the Chagossian people shouldn’t be used as a political football, and I suspect that deep down, Kemi will feel a sense of shame about what she has done.
But the other reason the Tory attacks don’t pass muster is that this whole debacle started under their watch. In fact it was then foreign secretary, now Kemi Badenoch’s candidate for Mayor of London, James Cleverly, who began the negotiations in earnest.
He told Parliament in November 2022: “The UK and Mauritius have decided to begin negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory/Chagos archipelago.”
He went so far as to say he wanted to arrive “at an agreement by early next year”.
In truth, the whole thing was yet another Tory sellout. Brought to you by the very same party who first agreed to hand Hong Kong over to China. There’s a bit of a pattern here, I’d say. It brings into sharp focus one of the most heinous character traits with which British voters are rightly sick to the teeth: dishonesty.
I make no apologies for it: I want our American allies to be able to use Diego Garcia, in a deal with us that would secure the future not just of the Chagos Islands, but for the Falklands, too.
