FCDO minister Hamish Falconer provided the government’s response to an urgent question from Nigel Farage on the Chagos Islands:
“I can assure this house nothing in the treaty has changed since the US administration gave their original endorsement of the deal, and we continue to work with Mauritius and the United States.
The UK Government has great sympathy for the Chagossian community. They feel a deep emotional connection with these islands. We have been clear in our regrets for the manner in which Chagossians were forcibly removed from the islands in the 60s and the 70s. We’re working to resume a programme of heritage visits for members of that community.
Mr Speaker, we will continue to work with both Mauritius and the United States on this agreement. As the prime minister has said, we have very close relations with the United States.
We have a process going through parliament in relation to the treaty. We will bring that back to parliament at the appropriate time. We are pausing for discussions with our American counterparts.”
On ice…
Lucy Powell on LBC, asked by Tom Swarbrick for her reaction to Labour MP Samantha Niblett’s call for a ‘summer of sex’ debate in Parliament: “I personally don’t own any sex toys, but each to their own… I’m not really sure that’s the right place for it, no.”