Latest news with #ChagosIslands
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
When WILL this serpentine creature now given such power by Starmer be forced to answer for his actions?: STEPHEN GLOVER
Who is one of the most influential figures in the Labour Government and yet almost unknown to the British public? Who secretly brokered the recent controversial deal whereby Britain agreed to hand over £101million annually to Mauritius for 99 years in return for a lease on a base in the Chagos Islands, which a previous administration had already secured with a payment of £3million in 1968?
The Independent
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
National security adviser will face MPs, minister confirms
Sir Keir Starmer's national security adviser will answer questions from MPs and peers after repeated requests for him to do so, it has been confirmed. The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy (JCNSS) has been calling for Jonathan Powell to appear before it since his appointment in November. Ministers had resisted the requests, saying that as the veteran diplomat was a special adviser, rather than a civil servant, it would not be 'appropriate' for him to give evidence to the JCNSS. But on Monday, JCNSS chairman Matt Western said Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden had agreed in writing that Mr Powell would give evidence. Mr McFadden, who appeared before the committee himself on Monday, said he had decided to allow Mr Powell to appear 'because I understand the committee's desire to hear from him and he does occupy a specific position in this sphere which is obviously important'. Mr Western had most recently raised the issue of Mr Powell's non-appearance before his committee in May, when he told the Commons he was concerned that the Government was 'using a quirk of his appointment as a special adviser' to 'erode democratic norms'. He also pointed out that Mr Powell was the first national security adviser not to appear before the committee since the role was created in 2010. Prior to his appointment as the national security adviser, Mr Powell played a key role in negotiating the sovereignty dispute between the UK and Mauritius over the Chagos Islands. Having previously worked as a Foreign Office diplomat, he became Tony Blair's chief of staff in 1995, moving with him to Downing Street after the 1997 election and remaining there until 2007. Mr McFadden told the JCNSS a 'suitable date' would be arranged for Mr Powell's appearance. On the same day, Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) announced it had met Sir Keir in what its chairman described as a 'very positive reset' in its relations with the Government. The meeting was the first between a prime minister and the ISC, which scrutinises Britain's intelligence services, for more than 10 years. ISC chairman Lord Beamish said: 'These are very positive steps toward significant change which will make parliamentary oversight of this crucial area stronger, and enhance public confidence in the vital work of the UK intelligence community.'
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
National security adviser will face MPs, minister confirms
Sir Keir Starmer's national security adviser will answer questions from MPs and peers after repeated requests for him to do so, it has been confirmed. The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy (JCNSS) has been calling for Jonathan Powell to appear before it since his appointment in November. Ministers had resisted the requests, saying that as the veteran diplomat was a special adviser, rather than a civil servant, it would not be 'appropriate' for him to give evidence to the JCNSS. But on Monday, JCNSS chairman Matt Western said Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden had agreed in writing that Mr Powell would give evidence. Mr McFadden, who appeared before the committee himself on Monday, said he had decided to allow Mr Powell to appear 'because I understand the committee's desire to hear from him and he does occupy a specific position in this sphere which is obviously important'. Mr Western had most recently raised the issue of Mr Powell's non-appearance before his committee in May, when he told the Commons he was concerned that the Government was 'using a quirk of his appointment as a special adviser' to 'erode democratic norms'. He also pointed out that Mr Powell was the first national security adviser not to appear before the committee since the role was created in 2010. Prior to his appointment as the national security adviser, Mr Powell played a key role in negotiating the sovereignty dispute between the UK and Mauritius over the Chagos Islands. Having previously worked as a Foreign Office diplomat, he became Tony Blair's chief of staff in 1995, moving with him to Downing Street after the 1997 election and remaining there until 2007. Mr McFadden told the JCNSS a 'suitable date' would be arranged for Mr Powell's appearance. On the same day, Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) announced it had met Sir Keir in what its chairman described as a 'very positive reset' in its relations with the Government. The meeting was the first between a prime minister and the ISC, which scrutinises Britain's intelligence services, for more than 10 years. ISC chairman Lord Beamish said: 'These are very positive steps toward significant change which will make parliamentary oversight of this crucial area stronger, and enhance public confidence in the vital work of the UK intelligence community.'
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Lord Hermer gives himself an 'effective veto' over government policy, documents show
UK Attorney General Lord Hermer has handed himself an 'effective veto' over government policy, according to reports. Documents seen by The Telegraph suggest he has watered down instructions issued by Suella Braverman in 2022 to prevent lawyers from 'blocking' plans. It is alleged Lord Hermer has made a number of changes to the guidance given to government lawyers by the Attorney General. These include the addition of a new 'snitch clause', calling on civil servants to tell him if ministers may be about to break the law. In total, Lord Hermer is said to have added 23 references to international law to the guidance, which is issued to lawyers on how they should advise elected politicians. Lawyers are also told to assume that ever decision taken by a government minister could face a legal challenge. This is understood to be a change from previous advice which stated that such an outcome was unlikely. Lord Hermer has recently come under fire from Cabinet ministers amid allegations he has tried to block government policy with spurious legal objections. Just last month he was accused of 'blocking' Britain from defending Israel against Iran strikes. Despite the UK previously coming to the aid of its ally, Lord Hermer is said to have warned against intervention during the brief war last month. He is also said to have played a major role in 'surrendering' the Chagos Islands, the UK's last territory in the Indian Ocean, to adhere to a non-binding ruling by the International Court of Justice. The alleged changes to the guidance issued to government lawyers have been criticised by Conservatives. Sir Michael Ellis, a former Conservative attorney general, said Lord Hermer had 'effectively given himself a veto over all government business'. 'It is quite something if ministers of the crown within the same Government cannot be trusted, and have to be snitched on by their own officials,' he added in comments made to The Telegraph. Meanwhile, shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart branded the guidance a 'surrender charter'. He said: 'Measures like the snitch clause will undermine discussion across government and harm our national interest. 'Keir Starmer's Attorney General is putting the partisan views of activist lawyers before the national interest.' A source close to Lord Hermer branded the allegations against him as 'desperate nonsense from the Tory party' in a comment made to the Telegraph. A spokesman for the Attorney General said: 'We are getting on with delivering the Plan for Change, from getting NHS waiting lists down, to rolling out free breakfast clubs in primary schools, expanding free school meals, and creating growth, wealth and opportunity for all. 'Government lawyers advise ministers, but it is always ministers that make decisions on policy as has been the case under successive governments.'
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
More funds needed for London Chagos arrivals, says council
More money is needed to help cope with the number of Chagos Islanders moving to the UK, according to a London Council said it had seen more than 400 Chagossians - who have British citizenship - arrive via nearby Heathrow Airport in the past year, with the cost of supporting them totalling hundreds of thousands of May 2025, the UK government signed a long-planned deal to hand the Chagos Islands to council wants the government to "do the right thing" and provide more funding to cover costs, including temporary accommodation. The government said it was providing funding where Chagossian arrivals were "creating immediate local pressures". The residents of the Chagos Islands, a British overseas territory, were evicted between 1967 and 1973 to create a joint UK-US military granddaughter of one of those residents was in tears as she thought about her homeland's history when she landed at Heathrow."My grandmother was a British Chagossian," said Rebecca Philippe. "Fifty years ago, she was uprooted from her island, and we have seen her suffering. "By seeing her suffering, we suffered too, with her. Unfortunately she is no longer with us. But we are here, not only for our rights but to honour her."Ms Philippe said she had to hide her British Chagossian identity when living in Mauritius because anyone who criticised Mauritian sovereignty risked a prison sentence."We have a penal code on our heads. We can't protest or do anything to fight for our rights, so we feel powerless there," she said. "Here I can tell people who I am, and there's no more fear inside me."A report by Human Rights Watch found that many Chagossians displaced to Mauritius continued to suffer poverty, stigma and discrimination. More than 100 Chagossians arrived at Heathrow Airport in one week in May, the same month the UK government signed the deal to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, Hillingdon Council arrivals did not have accommodation plans and needed housing British passport holders, Chagossians are allowed to enter the UK but do not qualify for the support that refugees and asylum seekers council said it helped those who had arrived to open a UK bank account and apply for Universal Credit, and provided bedding and a prepaid card for essentials. It said Chagossians went through a similar process to anyone else in the borough when it came to housing support. The council said the arrivals were placing an unsustainable demand on services, and cost more than £508,000 between July 2024 and March has forecast an annual cost of £1.2m going forward, as more Chagos Islanders global population of Chagossians is reported to be around 10,000, with many of them living in Mauritius, the Seychelles or the UK."It's the government's policy on the Chagos Islands which is creating this surge in people coming to Heathrow," said Steve Tuckwell, the council's cabinet member for planning, housing and growth. "Heathrow's in Hillingdon and that's where the burden sits. So the government needs to do their bit to make it fairer for Hillingdon taxpayers."Mr Tuckwell said many of the Chagossian arrivals have children, and the council had a legal responsibility to find temporary accommodation for families with dependants. The council added that the government would only cover the costs incurred for up to 10 days after arrival.A spokesperson from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "We are giving Hillingdon Council funding to support Chagossian arrivals where arrival numbers are creating immediate local pressures."Government guidance is clear that people must make their own accommodation arrangements before they travel."
