Lammy rejects Trump’s proposals for US takeover of Gaza – UK politics stay | Politics

Keir Starmer praised the “necessary position” Denmark performs in defending the safety of the Arctic area as he met his Danish counterpart final night time, amid a diplomatic row with the US over the sovereignty of Greenland, PA Media stories.

The PM hosted Mette Frederiksen for a working dinner in Downing Road night as her nation faces a dispute with Donald Trump, who has stated he desires to accumulate the Nordic island. In public No 10 has signalled its assist for Denmark, whereas attempting to keep away from saying something which may antagonise Trump or escalate the dispute.

Final night time, in a readout of the talks, Quantity 10 made no particular point out of Greenland however stated the 2 leaders agreed to “step up joint cooperation to deal with threats” confronted within the Excessive North area.

Starmer welcomed a brand new navy bundle introduced by Denmark to defend the Arctic from “hostile exercise”, based on a Downing Road spokesperson.

It comes after the Nordic nation stated it could spend 14.6 billion kroner (£1.6bn) to spice up safety within the area following renewed curiosity from Trump in controlling Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, PA says.

Talking outdoors Quantity 10 following her assembly with Starmer, Frederiksen stated that they had agreed to “work intently collectively” on making certain the safety of the Excessive North, which incorporates the island.

Requested whether or not she had obtained assist from the UK prime minister on the problem of Greenland throughout their assembly on Tuesday, Frederiksen stated:

We had an excellent assembly.

I think about UK as one among our greatest and most necessary allies, and he’s an in depth pal and colleague to me and to Denmark.

We’ve agreed tonight that we’ll work intently collectively on the Arctic area and the necessity for making certain the safety surroundings in what we name the Excessive North, together with Greenland and the Arctic area basically.

So it was an excellent assembly, and never solely trying on the Arctic area, we now have agreed to work nearer collectively on defence and deterrence and on the totally different safety points which are surrounding us in these years.

In its readout, a No 10 spokesperson stated:

Turning to safety within the Excessive North and Arctic area, the prime minister paid tribute to the necessary position Denmark was taking part in and welcomed their latest announcement of a brand new navy bundle to defend the Arctic from hostile exercise.

Each leaders agreed to step up joint cooperation to deal with threats within the Arctic and Excessive North, working with allies via Nato and JEF [Joint Expeditionary Force] Companions.

The Excessive North is a time period utilized in defence circles overlaying the Arctic and North Atlantic. It consists of Greenland.

Priti Patel, the shadow international secretary, was additionally doing a media spherical this morning. She is arguably probably the most pro-Israeli Tory holding the International Workplace transient for years, however she wouldn’t endorse President Trump’s plan for Gaza.

Like Steve Reed in his interviews (see 9.55am), she made some extent of sounding postive about Trump – whereas rejecting the substance of what he was proposing.

In an inteview on the At this time programme, she stated:

We’re nonetheless in a ceasefire with three phases. We’re not via the primary part.

Coming to the rebuilding is, in fact, part three. Having a imaginative and prescient – and what we heard in a single day completely appears like a imaginative and prescient when it comes to rebuilding, creating hope, alternative, prosperity for the folks of Gaza – that’s clearly an finish state.

However methods to get there?

Patel stated that the UK ought to be working with its companions, “Arab nations within the Center East”, on a long-term answer. These nations are against the Trump plan, though Patel didn’t spell that out.

She additionally stated that she was inquisitive about having a “reformed PA [Palestinian Authority]” working Gaza – which isn’t a part of what Trump appears to be planning in any respect.

And he or she burdened the necessity for worldwide settlement on Gaza’s future. She stated:

I believe we’re a good distance, if I could say so, from even talking about new governance, new constructions.

Clearly, that is an aspiration. These are discussions that should, should completely occur. However they’ve acquired to occur collectively. It’s not for one nation to dictate what that’s going to seem like. That is going to be a negotiation.

Against this, Trump does appear to wish to dictate unilaterally what is going to occur in Gaza.

The UK authorities would oppose any plan that will cease Palestinians returning to their residence in Gaza, Steve Reed, the surroundings secretary, stated this morning.

In an interview on the At this time programme, requested about President Trump’s proposal for a US take-over of Gaza, and the implicit ethnic cleaning of Palestinians who’ve been dwelling there, Reed said the federal government’s opposition to the concept – whereas on the similar time attempting to keep away from direct criticism of Trump. Reed even praised him for the position he performed in securing the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.

Reed stated:

I believe it’s proper that I ought to share with you the UK Authorities’s view of what ought to occur.

It could be inappropriate for me to supply a working commentary on what Donald Trump says, or certainly every other world chief.

Whereas we’re speaking about Donald Trump, I believe he deserves credit score for his position in securing this ceasefire within the first place. That was clearly the necessary staging put up in the direction of getting the long run peace that may wish to see.

However … the UK authorities’s view is, and can stay, that Palestinians should have the ability to return to their houses and rebuild their shattered lives.

Good morning. PMQs is generally largely about home politics, however right this moment – regardless of the federal government doing its greatest to advertise an announcement a few £2.65bn funding in flood defences – international coverage might properly dominate. That’s partly due to President Trump, and his need to go away workplace with the US territorially larger than it was when it arrived (one thing that went out of trend in most elements of the respectable world across the finish of the nineteenth century).

Final night time Keir Starmer had dinner with the prime minister of Denmark, the nation that has sovereignty over Greenland, and late final night time No 10 put out a press release that barely firmed up Starmer’s assist for Denmark in its willpower to see off Trump’s plan to purchase/annex the huge, frozen island. Extra on that quickly.

Now it seems Trump desires so as to add Gaza to the US property porfolio too. Or one thing like that. At a press convention within the White Home he stated he wished to “take over” the Palestinian territory, however the precise particulars are hazy and, as ever with Trump, it’s fairly laborious to know the place this plan sits on his lethal critical/wild fantasy spectrum. Steve Reed, the surroundings secretary on broadcast responsibility this morning, has already politely expressed the UK authorities’s opposition to the concept, however Starmer is nearly sure to be requested about it too.

However at PMQs Kemi Badenoch might properly determine to concentrate on the Chagos Islands – one place that Trump has not determined he desires to beat for the US, not less than not but. You’ll be able to think about, although, why Starmer could be tempted to only hand it over. Britain has sovereignty, as a colonial-era hangover, and is within the strategy of giving it to Mauritius. More and more, the deal is getting mired in controversy.

Final night time they had been additionally working late within the International Workplace on a media assertion. Yesterday afternoon, after the Occasions ran a narrative, prompted by feedback from Navin Ramgoolam, the Mauritian prime minister, in his nationwide meeting, saying the UK was now ready at hand over round £18bn to Mauritius as a part of the deal, No 10 refused to disclaim the story. The UK is planning to switch sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, as a result of it retains shedding circumstances in worldwide courts over possession, however it’s planning to pay for the giveaway too so it will probably keep it up working the UK/US airbase on Diego Garcia for one more 99 years. There was some authorities background briefing to the impact that the £18bn determine was not correct, however the No 10 line left journalists with the impression that the Occasions story was broadly correct.

Lastly, at 11pm final night time, the International Workplace put out a press release rebutting the Occasions story a bit extra strongly. It additionally claimed the Occasions was fallacious to say the deal has been revised in order that Mauritius can have a veto over any UK request to increase the 99-year Diego Garcia lease which it didn’t have within the unique model of the deal agreed final autumn. A International Workplace spokesperson stated:

This reporting is wrong.

The figures being quoted are totally inaccurate and deceptive.

There was no change to the phrases of extension within the treaty.

The UK will solely signal a deal that’s in our nationwide curiosity.

This will probably be of some use to Starmer if Badenoch raises the query at PMQs.

However what’s far more important is the information that some senior Labour figures are privately aghast on the deal. In a report for Bloomberg final night time, Alex Wickham stated that two cupboard ministers are in opposition to it. Wickham stated:

An individual conversant in the views of 1 cupboard minister stated they didn’t perceive why the UK was agreeing to pay giant sums of cash to Mauritius at a time when the Treasury was telling UK authorities departments to arrange for spending cuts.

A second particular person conversant in a unique cupboard member’s views stated Starmer ought to cancel the deal. Each recommended Starmer was appearing on authorized recommendation from legal professional common Richard Hermer.

On the At this time programme this morning Henry Zeffman, the BBC’s chief political correspondent, stated he was listening to the identical factor. He stated:

Making calls on this story to contacts in authorities final night time, it turned clear to me that a number of the most senior folks in authorities are against this deal … Simply trying via the phrases in my pocket book, “horrible”, “mad”, “inconceivable to grasp” – these are the phrases I can use, not less than presently of day on air. However there are different phrases in my pocket book. And these are from very senior authorities sources.

Of their London Playbook briefing for Politico, Sam Blewett and Bethany Dawson say Labour backbenchers are sad too.

One MP who fears Nigel Farage’s outfit might be closing in on their marginal seat advised Playbook the treaty could be “Reform rocket gas.” “How am I supposed to inform my constituents that we took away their winter gas allowance to pay a international nation to take our sovereign territory?” they messaged to say.

Right here is the agenda for the day.

Morning: David Lammy, the international secretary, is because of maintain a press convention in Kyiv together with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha.

Midday: Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs.

After 12.30pm: Angela Rayner, the deputy PM and housing secretary, is because of give a Commons assertion on which English councils are being allowed to delay elections to allow them to reorganise into unitary authorities.

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