Fix your country, Trump tells Starmer – as he opposes Chagos deal
“Donald Trump told Sir Keir Starmer to straighten out the UK as the rift between the two leaders over Greenland and the Chagos Islands deal deepened. The US president suggested on Tuesday night that Sir Keir and France’s Emmanuel Macron were two-faced. Mr Trump said: “[They] treat me well. They get a little bit rough when … I’m not around, but when I’m around, they treat me very nicely.” Mr Trump said he would snub an emergency meeting of the G7 that Mr Macron had proposed could take place in Paris. The US president suggested his French counterpart would not be around “much longer”. “Emmanuel is not going to be there very long. And you know, there’s no longevity there. He’s a friend of mine. He’s a nice guy. I like Macron, but, but he’s not, he’s not going to be there very much longer,” he said. Mr Trump was due to depart for the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday night, but his plane was forced to turn around mid-air because of a “minor electrical issue”. Mr Trump and his entourage will switch to another plane and continue the trip to Davos. The incident took place hours after the US president renewed his threat to take Greenland and criticised Sir Keir’s Chagos deal as “an act of stupidity”. The US president said “London is having a lot of problems”, when asked how he would characterise his relationship with the Prime Minister. “They’ve [Starmer and Macron] got to straighten out their countries. London is having a lot of problems,” the US president told reporters.” – Daily Telegraph
- What is the Chagos Islands deal and why does Trump now oppose it? – The Times
- Tories: UK’s Chagos deal was ‘self-sabotaging’ – ITN
- MPs vote down amendments to ‘frustrate Chagos surrender’ as two Labour rebels defy PM over ‘weak’ deal – GBNews
- Chagos sovereignty no longer up for debate, says Mauritius, after Trump criticises UK deal – BBC News
- The moment that inspired Trump’s Chagos deal U-turn – Daily Telegraph
Comment:
- Chagos may be the worst deal by a British government in history – Nigel Farage, Daily Telegraph
- Bonds feel the Trump pain: A tide of uncertainty is rolling in and Britain is vulnerable – Alex Brummer, Daily Mail
- Starmer is impotent before the madness of King Donald – Jeremy Warner, Daily Telegraph
- Starmer MUST rethink giving away the strategic Chagos Islands & prevent a ruinously expensive mistake – The Sun Says
- Why Britain would be wrong to stand up to Trump’s bullying – Julian Jessop, Daily Telegraph
- Trump might be wrong on Greenland but is correct about Chagos surrender – The Times View
- Trump is right. America cannot afford to leave Greenland to Denmark – Rebekah Koffler, Daily Telegraph
> Yesterday:
MI5 warning to kow-tow Keir
“Keir Starmer faced fury last night after spy chiefs warned of the risks posed by China’s new mega-embassy in London. The Prime Minister was accused of giving up national security in return for a better trading relationship with Beijing, after Labour granted planning permission for the alleged spy base just days before he is expected to fly out to meet president Xi Jinping. In a sign of the espionage danger posed by what will be the biggest diplomatic mission in Europe, ministers admitted for the first time that action had been taken to ‘increase the resilience’ of nearby telecoms cables, which carry millions of pieces of sensitive data and sit just yards from the site at the old Royal Mint, near Tower Bridge. And in a rare intervention, the heads of Britain’s domestic intelligence agencies publicly warned they cannot eliminate the risk attached to the embassy, while Parliament’s security committee said it had struggled to get answers about the controversial case. Meanwhile, local residents are preparing a legal challenge to the long-awaited decision, which could see it tied up in the courts for years, and opponents of the Chinese Communist Party said they would live in fear of the building they believe could become their prison.” – Daily Mail
- Security risk from China ‘super-embassy’ cannot be eliminated, M15 warns after Starmer approves plans – The Independent
- US ‘deeply concerned’ after Labour approves Chinese ‘super-embassy’ – Daily Telegraph
- Activist warns of torture threat at Chinese mega-embassy – The Times
Comment:
- This Chinese embassy decision is a humiliating sell-out – Iain Duncan Smith, Daily Telegraph
- Approving the new Chinese Embassy is not a show of weakness but an acceptance of reality – Lord Kirkhope, The House
- Spineless Starmer just made his dumbest decision yet – Trump’s going to tear him to pieces – Giles Sheldrick, Daily Express
Starmer faces humiliation in Lords over social media ban
“Sir Keir Starmer is heading for defeat in the House of Lords over demands for a social media ban on under-16s, despite offering a consultation on the proposal. Peers across all parties are being urged to vote for an amendment on Wednesday which would force the Government to introduce an immediate Australian-style ban. Even critics of the ban have said they are prepared to vote for the amendment. This is because the consultation will delay until at least the summer any changes to legislation that could protect children from online harms they face now. In December, Australia launched the world’s first major experiment in blocking under-16s from vast swathes of the web. Children’s accounts with the likes of TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Threads were shut down. However, the legislation has been slated by civil liberties groups as an affront to free speech, an attack on young people’s rights and an invasion of their privacy… It is estimated 70 per cent of Labour MPs favour a ban, according to private polling, while Kemi Badenoch has committed the Tories to introducing the Australian-style measures.” – Daily Telegraph
- Lords to vote on amendment that could bring in social media ban for under 16s – ITV News
- British school children face social media curfew in world-first trial – as Labour mulls Australia-style social media ban for under-16s – Daily Mail
- PM’s U-turn on under-16 social media ban branded ‘political cynicism’ – The Times
- Little evidence social media bans work, Labour’s own report warns – Daily Telegraph
Comment:
- A social media ban insults the intelligence of parents – Rowan Pelling, Daily Telegraph
- Why those calling for a teen social media ban need to check their privilege – Chloe Combi, The Independent
News in brief:
- Triumphant Tories might miss Robert Jenrick more than they think – they need the voters he represents – Henry Hill, The Guardian
- Who will stand up for economic freedom? – Harry Phibbs, CapX
- Farage’s defection deadline could make a Tory-Reform pact more likely – Andrew Tettenborn, The Spectator
- Kemi Badenoch has one last shot – Richard Vinen, UnHerd
- The problem with Badenochism – John Hardy, The Critic
