“Sir Keir Starmer’s Chagos Islands deal will cost 10 times more than he claimed, official figures reveal. The Government’s own estimate of the cost of giving away the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius is almost £35bn, according to documents released under the Freedom of Information Act – far higher than the £3.4bn figure Sir Keir has previously used in public. Labour ministers now face claims that they misled Parliament and the press with an “accountancy trick” to hide the size of the bill from taxpayers. Under the terms of Sir Keir’s deal, the UK will give up the Chagos Islands by the end of this year and lease back the Diego Garcia military base, a facility built there in the 1970s that has been used by UK and US forces. The cost of the agreement has been fiercely disputed. Sir Keir claimed in May that it would be £3.4bn over 99 years, accounting for inflation and other discounts, but the Conservatives said it would total £30bn. An official document produced by the Government Actuary’s Department shows the cost of the deal was first estimated at 10 times Sir Keir’s figure, at £34.7bn, in nominal terms. It explains how the cost was lowered by the Government using inflation estimates, then reduced again under a controversial accounting method sometimes used for long-term projects. The total cost, which ministers refused to release to Parliament, is equivalent to 10 Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, or more than half the annual schools’ budget. Sir Keir now faces accusations that he misled Parliament, because he told MPs in February that cost estimates between £9bn and £18bn were “absolutely wide of the mark” and suggested the true figure was lower.” – Daily Telegraph
“A host of generous perks are being offered to small boat arrivals — including discounts on martial arts classes and dinghy days out plus £1 Aston Villa match tickets for kids. They are among dozens of farcical asylum deals uncovered in a Sun investigation. Others include half-price on e-bikes — when Army veterans and pensioners only get a fifth off. Among those dishing out deals is Labour-run Rotherham Council — which gives asylum seekers access to the Rothercard, aimed at helping low-earning families with bills. Around 500 in asylum accommodation in the South Yorkshire town are believed to be eligible. At Rother Valley Country Park’s three lakes they get a 30 per cent discount, slashing the cost of a 90-minute double-handed dinghy or sailing boat rental from £20.70 to £14.80. A single-handed dinghy is £12.70, a third down from £16.40. The park also offers discounted watersports including windsurfing. The authority, where one in six live in poverty, raised council tax by three per cent this year. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “It’s shocking that yet another Labour Council has been offering illegal immigrants freebies – this time offering discounts for water sports and boat hires. You could not make it up. Hard-working Brits are subsidising perks for illegal immigrants crossing the Channel, while at the same time seeing local services cut. This has got to stop. The British people have had enough.” – The Sun
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> Today: Chris Philp: There has been a migration crisis this summer and the Government are not up to tackling it
> Yesterday: Tackling immigration isn’t about race, and the left need to stop branding people concerned about it as racists
“Lord Hermer will be given the final say on prosecuting hundreds of protesters arrested for supporting Palestine Action. The Attorney General has the power to approve or block further action against the demonstrators under the Terrorism Act after they were caught carrying placards in support of a proscribed group. The Metropolitan Police said 532 people had been arrested at a demonstration in Westminster on Saturday that was designed to overwhelm the criminal justice system. All but one of the arrests took place in Parliament Square, where hundreds of protesters carried placards that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” The Met said the average age of those arrested was 54 and that more than 100 people hauled away by police were over 70. Officers arrested 263 men, 261 women and eight people who either defined themselves as non-binary or did not disclose their gender…Charges brought under the Terrorism Act must first be approved by the Attorney General, acting in his capacity as the Government’s most senior lawyer, rather than in a political capacity. Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, told The Telegraph: “If lawbreakers supporting a proscribed terrorist group aren’t prosecuted, it will be the clearest example yet of two-tier justice under Two-Tier Keir. Lord Hermer needs to enforce the law, not pander to activists he’s sympathetic to.” – Daily Telegraph
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