Newslinks for Tuesday 20th January 2026

Trump calls PM’s Chagos giveaway an act of weakness and stupidity in hit over Greenland

“Donald Trump today turned his fire back on Sir Keir Starmer by accusing him of ‘giving away’ Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands to Mauritius ‘for no reason whatsoever’ in an ‘act of great stupidity’. The US President said that ‘there is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness’. Mr Trump used the Chagos crisis to justify yet again why the United States should be handed Greenland, urging Denmark and his European allies to ‘do the right thing’.  It came after Sir Keir Starmer held a Downing Street press conference where he branded Donald Trump’s trade war threats over Greenland ‘completely wrong’. Trump said in a post on Truth Social today: ‘Shockingly, our “brilliant” NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital U.S. Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER. There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness. These are International Powers who only recognize STRENGTH, which is why the United States of America, under my leadership, is now, after only one year, respected like never before.” – Daily Mail

• Trump ridicules Starmer’s’ ‘total weakness’ in brutal latest humiliation – Daily Express
• Don’t hit back at Trump over Greenland, Starmer urges EU – Daily Telegraph
• Starmer says he does not think Trump would use military force to seize Greenland – FT
• What are Trump’s tariff threats and could the UK retaliate? – The Times
• The death of Davos: Trump prepares to ‘punch allies in the head’ as Greenland threat hangs over gathering of global elite – Daily Mail
• UK plots Nato security deal in Arctic to stop Trump trade war – The i
• Allies on the brink. Trump says he’s ‘not obliged to think of peace’ over Greenland as Europe to hit back in tariff war with ‘trade bazooka’ – The Sun
• ‘They’re not Starmer’s to give away!’ PM sparks new fury over controversial Chagos deal – Daily Express
• ‘Disaster for UK security’: How Farage has put Britain’s military chiefs on edge – The i

Editorial

• Starmer must find a diplomatic way to avoid a costly trade war as the economy is in no fit state to cope  – The Sun

Comment

• Time for Britain to decide if we’re happy to look weak – William Hague, The Times
• Donald Trump’s Greenland tantrum means Britain and Europe must get real and rearm – the rules of the game have changed – Harry Cole, The Sun
• Trump treats America’s enemies better than its friends – Charles Moore, Daily Telegraph
• We are seeing Trump reduced to his essence – Eliot Wilson, CapX

Badenoch tells would-be defectors, if they are going now’s the time to go

“Kemi Badenoch has told Conservative MPs thinking of defecting they are “free to make other choices” and leave. In a letter that will be viewed as an ultimatum, the Tory leader wrote to MPs after the party lost Robert Jenrick and Andrew Rosindell within days of one another to Reform UK. Badenoch was due to meet members of two Tory tribes, the 92 Group and the Common Sense Group, on Monday in parliament. Both factions are on the right of the party and her meeting was viewed as an effort to reassert herself among MPs who could be considering defecting. In her letter to MPs, Badenoch wrote: “Differences of opinion are part of a healthy party. But there is a clear line between disagreement and trying to damage the party from within. Those who cannot be part of a Conservative Party that is changing in this way are free to make other choices.” She warned MPs that anyone deemed to be seeking to “undermine or destroy the party will be dealt with firmly and fairly”. Of those thinking of defecting, she wrote: “There will be no hard feelings about that as they will create space for those who share our values and purpose.” Badenoch won plaudits for her handling of Jenrick, sacking him without warning having been presented with “clear, irrefutable evidence” of his plan to defect to Reform. She told MPs it was “now time to move on” from his departure after spending time dealing with the aftermath. – The Times

• Kemi Badenoch warns Tory MPs she will tolerate no more ‘psychodrama’ after shadow ministers defect to Reform – saying any ‘who want to undermine or destroy the party’ will be ‘dealt with’ – Daily Mail
• Tories purge the Jenrickites – Spectator

Today

Yesterday

Starmer plans new U turn after Tory pressure, but Conservatives says it’s not enough

“Ministers will consult on a social media ban for the under-16s and toughen up rules on mobile phones in schools in an attempt to see off a backbench rebellion by more than 60 Labour MPs. In the latest Downing Street climbdown, the government has dropped its objections to imposing age restrictions on social media use and will also look at banning children from accessing addictive features such as ‘infinite scrolling’. Starmer has previously said he would “personally” be opposed to a social media ban, arguing that “it’s more about how you control the content that children can see…But Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, said the government concessions did not go far enough. “We don’t need to ask whether a ban is necessary; the evidence is overwhelming. If the government is serious about getting phones out of schools, then it must legislate. MPs and peers have a chance to act now, rather than kicking this into the long grass.” – The Times

• Yet another Labour U-turn? Sir Keir Starmer opens the door to Australia-style social media ban for under-16s to see off major backbench rebellion – Daily Mail
• Labour plans to ban under-16s from social media – Daily Telegraph
• Ministers launch consultation on whether to ban social media for under-16s – Guardian
• Fresh civil war nightmare for Keir Starmer as Labour MPs demand social media clampdown – Daily Express

Labour approval for China mega embassy will face legal challenge led by Tory KC

“Sir Keir Starmer will formally approve China’s plans for a new mega-embassy in London but faces years of legal challenges over the decision that could require the disclosure of messages, emails and minutes of meetings. Residents living near the embassy are preparing to launch a judicial review, arguing that the government’s decision was “pre-determined”. They will ask the government to disclose all information about meetings and calls between the prime minister and President Xi of China in the run-up to the decision. They will also demand that the ministers and officials hand over WhatsApp messages, emails and minutes from any meetings or calls relating to the embassy. They are likely to target Starmer, Angela Rayner, the former housing secretary, and her successor, Steve Reed, along with David Lammy, the former foreign secretary, and Yvette Cooper. The residents will be represented by Lord Banner KC, a Tory peer and one of the country’s top planning barristers. He recently led a government review on overcoming obstacles to nationally significant infrastructure. The review is supported by MPs and peers who believe that the new embassy represents a threat to national security.” – The Times

• UK set to approve Chinese ‘mega’ embassy after inclusion of security measures – FT
• Royal Mint Court residents plan legal challenge if Chinese ‘mega embassy’ in London approved – Guardian

Comment

• Keir Starmer will regret approving China’s new mega-embassy – Ian Williams, Spectator

Shamima Begum whose UK citizenship was removed by Conservative Government could be freed after fighting in Syria

“Infamous ISIS bride Shamima Begum could be freed from her Syrian detention camp in just days as violent clashes erupt outside the prison walls. Begum, 26, was stripped of her British citizenship in 2019 after she travelled to Syria to join the terrorist group as a teenager. She recently revived her bid to return to the UK after the European Court of Human Rights formally challenged that decision. Now, she may suddenly find herself free from the al-Roj detention camp in north-east Syria following a fierce conflict in the area. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the US-backed coalition that controls the IS detention camps, is losing ground to government forces.” – The Sun

• Shamima Begum ‘could be freed’ in battle for Isis prisons – Daily Telegraph
• ISIS bride Shamima Begum ‘could be free from Syrian detention camp in DAYS’ as Kurdish-led fighters holding her and thousands of terrorists lose ground to government forces – Daily Mail

News in Brief

• Has Trump killed the European Right? – Mary Harrington, Unherd
• It’s a crowded field, but Bridget Phillipson’s failure to protect free speech in universities makes her the most useless Cabinet minister – Toby Young, Daily Mail
• Who said it: the Robert Jenrick memo or David Brent? – Martin Belam, Guardian
• The left is intellectually exhausted – Alex Yates, The Critic