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In the Commons Dan Jarvis, the security minister, is taking questions from MPs about the decision to approve the Chinese “super-embassy”.
He quoted from the letter written by Sir Ken McCallum, the MI5 director general, and Anne Keast-Butler, the GCHQ director, about this project, and put particular emphasis on this passage.
It is worth reiterating the new embassy will replace seven different diplomatically-accredited sites across London which China currently operates; this consolidation should bring clear security advantages.
ShareUpdated at 15.19 CET
Key events
5d ago
Early evening summary
5d ago
Badenoch says she thinks Reform UK like SDP, and likely to do badly at next election
5d ago
Consultation on social media ban for under-16s will consider case for overnight curfews, Kendall tells MPs
5d ago
Starmer’s chief secretary reveals plans to bust ‘the sludge’ in Whitehall
5d ago
Mauritius says its Chagos Islands sovereignty deal with UK, not US, and it's going ahead
5d ago
US treasury secretary Scott Bessent says Chagos Islands decison shows why Trump right to be concerned about Greenland
5d ago
UK should consider expelling US forces from British bases, says Zack Polanski
5d ago
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp accuses government of 'shameless capitulation' to China
5d ago
Minister tells MPs MI5 and GCHQ think having all Chinese diplomats on one site will have 'clear security advantages'
5d ago
No 10 reminds Trump that Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth both issued statements backing Chagos Islands deal
5d ago
Security risks of Chinese embassy 'can be satisfactorily mitigated', says intelligence and security committee
5d ago
MI5 and GCHQ chiefs say Chinese embassy risks can't be removed entirely, but mitigations in place 'professional and proportionate'
5d ago
14% of Britons would back military retaliation by Europe if US were to invade Greenland, poll suggests
5d ago
Burnham urges Labour to be confident about saying it was 'arch-Thatcherites of Reform' who broke Britain
5d ago
Gordon Brown urges global democracies to defy Trump with declaration of support for self-determination and rule of law
5d ago
Tories suspend shadow minister in Senedd for talking to Reform UK about potential defection
5d ago
Government approves plan for Chinese "super-embassy" in London
5d ago
Reaction of global financial markets to Greenland crisis so far 'more muted' than feared, Bank of England boss tells MPs
5d ago
Trump's comments about Starmer show 'appeasing a bully never works', Ed Davey says
5d ago
Darren Jones suggests UK unlikely to join Trump's 'board of peace' for Gaza if Putin on it too
5d ago
Trump talking 'silly nonsense' about Chagos Islands deal, Lib Dems say
5d ago
Chagos Islands deal now a done deal, chief secretary to PM, Darren Jones, says
5d ago
US speaker Mike Johnson says UK-US 'special relationship' will endure, in speech to MPs
5d ago
Badenoch says Trump right to say Chagos Islands sovereignty handover 'terrible policy'
5d ago
US, all other Five Eyes allies, and key international partners, all backed Chagos Islands deal, UK government says
5d ago
Minister plays down Trump condemning 'stupidity' of Chagos deal, claiming PM's relationship with president 'is working'
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Early evening summaryFor a full list of all the stories covered on the blog today, do scroll through the list of key event headlines near the top of the blog.
Keir Starmer welcoming the President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, to Downing Street today. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PAShare
The former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies taking her seat in the House of Lords today. Kemi Badenoch has nominated her as a Tory peer because of her gender critical campaigning for women’s rights. Photograph: House of Lords/UK Parliament/PAShareHamish Falconer, the Middle East minster, has said that he is “appalled” by reports that Israel has started to knock down the UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) HQ in east Jerusalem. He said:
Appalled by reports that Israel has started the demolition of @UNRWA’s compound in East Jerusalem - another attack on its vital work for Palestinians.
Israel must abide by its obligations to protect and respect UN premises.
ShareBadenoch says she thinks Reform UK like SDP, and likely to do badly at next electionKemi Badenoch has claimed that Reform UK could end up doing badly at the next general election because they are like the SDP.
In an interview with Matt Chorley on Radio 5 Live, she cited the SDP/Liberal alliance as an example of how parties with huge poll leads can go on to lose.
The SDP (Social Democratic party) was formed in 1981 by Labour party moderates. It formed an electoral alliance with the Liberal party and initially the alliance soared in the polls.
But Margaret Thatcher, the then PM, recovered in popularity, and at the 1983 election the alliance won just 23 seats, despite getting 25% of the vote.
Badenoch told Chorley:
The only thing that matters is what happens in a general election. I remember when the SDP/Liberal alliance was, you know, polling 50% and they went on to do extremely badly at the election.
Asked if she thought Reform were new SDP, Badenoch replied:
I strongly suspect so, but I can’t spend time worrying about what Nigel Farage is doing. I’m looking after my party. We are a stronger and more united team than ever before.
Like the SDP/Liberal alliance at one point, Reform has been doing well because of the unpopularity of its two main rivals. Since last summer, Reform has regularly had a lead of at least 10 points.
But, if the alliance analogy is accurate, it is not one that bodes well for Badenoch. The Conservatives won by a landslide in 1983. But the SDP/Liberal alliance took votes mainly from Labour, not the Conservative party, and although Labour only just beat the alliance in vote share, the creation of the SDP – a split on the left – helped to keep it out of power for a decade. There are plenty of Tories who fear Reform UK – a split on the right – is having a similar impact on them.
ShareReform UK says its bid to use judicial review to challenge the government’s decision to delay some local elections planned for May is moving to the next stage. At a hearing today, a judge ruled that there will be a full hearing starting on 19 February, it said.
ShareConsultation on social media ban for under-16s will consider case for overnight curfews, Kendall tells MPsOvernight curfews and breaks to prevent “doomscrolling” will form part of the government’s consultation on social media for children, which will also consider an Australian-style ban for under-16s, Liz Kendall, the technology secretary, has told MPs. PA Media says:
Kendall said she is “determined” to give children the childhood they deserve, as she set out plans to consult on proposals to raise the digital age of consent and restrict potentially addictive app design features.
There have been growing calls for the Prime Minister to raise the minimum age for social media platforms, and No 10 has signalled it is open to the idea.
Kendall said Ofsted will examine schools’ mobile phone policies and how effectively they are implemented during inspections.
She also confirmed “evidence-based” guidance for parents on appropriate screen time for children aged five to 16 will be produced. Guidance for parents of under-fives is expected to be published in April.
In a statement to the Commons today, Kendall said: “We are determined to help parents, children and young people deal with these issues, with a lasting solution that gives children the childhood they deserve, enhances their wellbeing and prepares them for the future.
“We will bring forward a swift three-month consultation on further measures to keep children safe online.
“This will include the option of banning social media for children under 16, and raising the digital age of consent to stop companies using children’s data without their or their parents’ consent.
“The consultation will include a range of other options too, such as whether there should be curfews overnight, breaks to stop excessive use or doomscrolling, how we ensure more rigorous enforcement of existing laws around age verification and action to address concerns about the use of VPNs to get around important protections.”
ShareStarmer’s chief secretary reveals plans to bust ‘the sludge’ in WhitehallDarren Jones, the chief secretary to the PM, says he is going to bust “the sludge” in Whitehall by bringing in risk-taking taskforces to deal with problems, and providing the ability to sack senior civil servants who do not deliver. Rowena Mason has the story.
ShareMauritius says its Chagos Islands sovereignty deal with UK, not US, and it's going aheadThe government of Mauritius has said (like Downing Street – see 2.12pm) that, despite President Trump’s reservations, the transfer of Chagos Islands sovereignty is going ahead. As the BBC reports, Gavin Glover, the Mauritian attorney general, said it was “important to remember” that the deal was “negotiated, concluded and signed exclusively between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Mauritius”. He went on:
The sovereignty of the Republic of Mauritius over the Chagos Archipelago is already unambiguously recognised by international law and should no longer be subject to debate.
We expect the treaty to be implemented as soon as possible, in accordance with the commitments made.
ShareUS treasury secretary Scott Bessent says Chagos Islands decison shows why Trump right to be concerned about GreenlandIt is hard for members of the Trump administration to criticise the British deal with Mauritius over the Chagos Islands, given the administration approved it at the time. (See 2.12pm.) But, speaking on a panel at Davos, Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, endorsed (sort of) what Donald Trump said about it on Truth Social this morning. (See 8.52am.) He said the US has shared the Diego Garcia base with the UK for a long time and, referring to Greenland, he said he could see “why the president believes that, for US engagement, we do not want another Diego Garcia on our hands”.
Jakub Krupa has more on this on his Europe live blog.
ShareUK should consider expelling US forces from British bases, says Zack PolanskiThe UK should consider expelling the US from British military bases, Zack Polanski, the leader of the Green party has said, as he advocated leaving Nato and spending less on American weapons as part of a wider dismantling of the two countries’ defence alliance. Polanski was speaking to Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey for the Guardian’s Politics Weekly podcast. Here is their story.
And here is the podcast.
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