Confidential government emails obtained by Guido reveal that Starmer’s Chagos negotiator Jonathan Powell – now National Security Adviser – sought to obtain classified information relevant to the issue before he was announced in the role – and was shown at least some of that classified material in person. He corresponded about the material from a private, non-government email address. After requesting and seeing the classified documents in person, Powell subsequently travelled to China around a month later under the guise of his consultancy Inter Mediate…
On August 29th 2024 – just weeks after Labour won the general election – Powell emailed from his private consultancy email address to FCDO civil servants requesting “a low classification version” of a meeting minute between Starmer and the then Foreign Secretary David Lammy with the Mauritian Prime Minister. The email confirms he had already seen the classified document, presumably in a secure room at FCDO: “I read it when I came in but would like to see it again”. He suggests the document is probably too sensitive “for sending by Signal or WhatsApp” – so, what did it show?
Foreign Office officials, in a reply, refuse to send the minute remotely to Powell and instead offer “to print you a copy to read on arrival” – along with material on the financing of the deal. That “arrival” was in Port Louis – Powell clearly went straight there after being engaged by Starmer on the Chagos file…
The reply highlights the fact that Powell was not using “FCDO IT” – but presumably personal devices. Risky…
What business did Powell transact in this trip to Port Louis? Was the Chagos deal cooked up here, weeks before Parliament or the public heard anything of the matter? Was Powell working for the government or did he still have his Inter Mediate hat on?
Powell’s announcement as Starmer’s Chagos envoy was not made until 6 September. It is not clear what his vetting status was at the point at which he was shown classified documents. Why was he in receipt of secret material before Parliament and the public knew of his role?
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