Diego Garcia: Comments by the President of the United States
Debate between Lord Harris of Haringey and Baroness Chapman of Darlington
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
It is £3.4 billion. The reason why there has been a dispute over this is that some people do not understand inflation. These numbers have been calculated in the normal way, as they are for all these kinds of projects.
Lord Harris of Haringey (Lab)
My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Callanan, has implied that the previous Foreign Secretary’s remarks about not having American consent would somehow now apply. Surely it is the case that the Government took the views of the Americans and then reached an agreement, and that agreement is the one that stands. So could my noble friend tell the House, first, whether we are still committed to the principle of security, to the importance of the base and still committed to the clearly held view that this is the best option for the British people and for world security as a whole?
Diplomatic Missions: Unpaid Charges
Debate between Lord Harris of Haringey and Baroness Chapman of Darlington
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
I am happy to confirm that. As the right reverend Prelate would expect, our diplomatic staff, wherever they are stationed around the world, act to the highest of standards.
Lord Harris of Haringey (Lab)
My Lords, does the diplomatic immunity that the various embassies claim apply to enforcement action? Would it, for example, be possible to clamp the cars that have done this? I suspect that that might concentrate minds.
Chagos Islands
Debate between Lord Harris of Haringey and Baroness Chapman of Darlington(9 months, 4 weeks ago)
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Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
We have received formal confirmation from the White House that the United States supports the UK proceeding with the deal. This follows a rigorous US inter-agency process. We welcome the US endorsement of the deal and the President’s recognition of its strength.
Lord Harris of Haringey (Lab)
My Lords, given the synthetic anger from the Benches opposite, can my noble friend the Minister remind us how many rounds of negotiation to resolve this issue were done by the previous Government, and tell us who the Prime Ministers and Foreign Secretaries were who led those discussions?
Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)
We went through quite a few Prime Ministers and Foreign Secretaries. My recollection is that there were 12 or 13 rounds of negotiation under the previous Government.