Badenoch and Farage in spat over Chagos Islands, as she calls his offer to Trump ‘humiliating’ – UK politics live

Nigel Farage says Kemi Badenoch misinterpreted his suggestion for a deal with Donald Trump

While in some respects the Nigel Farage/Kemi Badenoch Chagos Islands row (see 9.56am) is just a slightly manufactured spat between two leaders who are not in a position to decide the future of the Chagos Islands anyway, it is revealing about the state of opposition politics, in three respects.

First, this is further evidence that the fight between the Tories and Reform UK is increasingly bitter. Here they are arguing over a policy where, essentially, their views are very similar. This time last year there was informal talk of a potential pact. Now there is an acrimonious fight to be the dominant party on the right.

I’d have gone in and said, ‘Right, you know what, mate? Chagos, it’s yours. Diego Garcia, in perpetuity, the most strategic American military base in the world, which it is.

Outside mainland America, Diego is the most important thing America has for nuclear subs, for long-range bombers, for all of it.

Giving away British territory in return for someone keeping quiet is not a deal. It is humiliating.

There is no pride in our country in the way he talks about us. This is careless, loose talk from a man who wants to be responsible for Britain’s national security.

This is totally dishonest journalism. I make it clear that I am opposed to the surrender of sovereignty to Mauritius. I would offer the use of Diego Garcia to the USA in perpetuity. In return I would want America to go quiet on the Falklands.

No one has fought harder to save the Chagos Islands from being given away than I have, unlike the Tories and Labour trying to give them away. I have even helped repopulate the islands with Chagossians.