Ministers are refusing to say how much the UK will pay to keep the crucial military base on Diego Garcia in our hands as part of the Chagos handover. Labour was asked how much the UK will pay per annum to lease the base and what the expected total cost is of the financial support to Mauritius. It declined to answer last week on the basis that the treaty isn’t yet finalised…
Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge asked at oral questions yesterday whether the reason Labour refuses to reveal the cost is because “it is not normal practice for the UK to reveal the value of payments for military bases anywhere across the globe.“ Healey confirmed that point…
Imagine Guido’s surprise when, two hours later, the government responded to a written question confirming the exact cost of running the UK element of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia: £3.8 million. The government helpfully clarified that “this excludes minor costs incurred directly by, for example, visiting units or HQ elements in the UK.” Labour can’t decide whether the costs of bases should be confidential, let alone the reasons for that confidentiality…
Krishnan Guru-Murthy asked John Healey: “Just finally, I mean Andy Burnham has been very clear he wants Britain back in the European Union in his lifetime. Do you?”
The Chancellor replied: “I’m older than Andy Burnham. I don’t expect to see that.”