Kemi let Keir off the hook on Chagos

This is Keir Starmer’s worst week in politics since last week. With the Chagos deal eliciting criticism in cabinet, the PM is now under pressure over claims he potentially broke lockdown rules. Expectations were therefore low at today’s Prime Minister’s Questions. But with his back against the wall, Starmer produced a performance that left the Opposition benches frustrated and despairing.

Kemi Badenoch started her six questions by asking about Chagos. Was it true, she asked, that the costs of this ‘immoral’ handover have now risen to £18bn? ‘When Labour negotiates’, she jibed, ‘our country loses.’ It was a decent opener – but Starmer had his answers ready. In a lengthy reply, he slowly explained how, ‘without legal certainty, the base cannot operate in practical terms as it should. That is bad for national security, and is a gift to our adversaries.’ He then spoke in cryptic terms. ‘Some within the party opposite know exactly what I am talking about’, he said.