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HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryI suspect that is a question for the hon. Member for Clacton. The record of the former Reform leader in Wales is well known and understood but, having declined to comment on the…25 Feb 2026HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryThis Government will seek to pursue Britain’s national interests. As the Prime Minister has made clear, we are sometimes going to disagree with our friends and allies in public,…25 Feb 2026HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryIt is interesting that the hon. Member started her question by referring to months. Going back years to when she was a special adviser in the previous Government and talks were…25 Feb 2026HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryAgain, there is this desire to suggest that there was no issue, that the 11 rounds of negotiation started by the previous Government were done for no reason and that there was no…25 Feb 2026HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryOn the first question, as I understand it the talks first started under the Conservative Government, but I am very happy to check the Foreign Office records and come back on that…25 Feb 2026HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryMadam Deputy Speaker, I apologise. I am failing again. The hon. Member will appreciate the scepticism on the Government Benches given that the Conservative Government started this…25 Feb 2026HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryReturning to the substance of the hon. Member’s question, I would just like to remind him that if he turned up with a selfie stick to RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, which is a…25 Feb 2026HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryThe hon. Member suggests that we have gone around the American Government. I have set out already in my response the extensive talks that we have had on this question with both…25 Feb 2026HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryHis Majesty’s Government’s objective has been, and continues to be, to secure the long-term effective operation of the military base on Diego Garcia. It is a base that is critical…25 Feb 2026HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryMr Speaker, I can only apologise. I would not seek to draw you into such a flagrant incident of ignoring travel advice. The treaty is as it was signed. It is going through both…25 Feb 2026HANSARD UK-German RelationsIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Preston (Sir Mark Hendrick) for securing the debate and for the…25 Feb 2026HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryFurther to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker; I beg the forgiveness of the House. As the House knows, I am the middle east Minister. On this occasion I am the duty…25 Feb 2026HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryI would not like to accept the connection being made between the British Indian Ocean Territory and Gibraltar and the Falklands. We are four-square behind the sovereignty of…25 Feb 2026HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryAs I have said, I would find the Conservatives’ position more plausible had they not held 11 rounds of these negotiations. The attempt by Conservative and Reform Members to act as…25 Feb 2026HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryMy hon. Friend paints the hon. Member for Clacton as a captain, but I will decline the opportunity to be the sheriff on this occasion.25 Feb 2026HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryIt is very good question. When I was a diplomat, we usually understood that British politicians would not seek to undermine the British Government overseas—we could argue in this…25 Feb 2026HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryThe Father of the House will appreciate that I am probably not in a position to give him the full detail that he would like on the provision of UNCLOS 298. I am sure that this…25 Feb 2026HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryTo be clear about the current position, there was support from the US Administration for this treaty, which has not changed. There clearly has been a statement from the President…25 Feb 2026HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryThe hon. Gentleman says “Stop the boats”, but he did take a private jet to get there, which is not quite consistent with the small boat rhetoric we usually hear from his party. I…25 Feb 2026HANSARD Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean TerritoryThe hon. Member refers to amendments to the Bill, and I am sure that he will understand why I will leave that to the Minister responsible for conducting the Bill through the…25 Feb 2026