Martin Callanan

Conservative Peer. Ex-Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance. Formerly in DexEU and DfT. Proud Geordie and Toon fan.

[Mark Wallace @wallaceme]

Finally, a proportionate response to people playing music out loud on their phone.

[Martin Callanan @MartinCallanan]

Hilarious confected outrage from these PA protesters that they might be made to cough up for the damage they caused. I hope more companies will do the same.

[James Heartfield @JamesHeartfield]

Palestine Action activists sued: “I smashed up these guys’ business, and I can’t believe that they want me to pay for the damage!” https://t.co/sbnNePl3iZ

[Steven Swinford @Steven_Swinford]

Breaking:

Donald Trump's latest broadside against Keir Starmer: 'It's not Winston Churchill we're dealing with'

He says the UK's refusal to alllow the US to use Diego Garcia meant that US bombers had to 'fly many extra hours'

'I'm not happy with the UK either. That island that you write about, for whatever reason he made a lease of the island. Somebody came and took it away from him. It has taken 3-4 days to work out where we can land.

'It would have been much more convenient landing there as opposed to flying many extra hours. We are very surprised. This is not Winston Churchill that we're dealing with'

[Times Radio @TimesRadio]

“The stupidity of that decision allowing international lawyers of a dubious provenance to determine the national interest of the United Kingdom is a disaster for transatlantic relations.”

The special relationship has reached a new low, says @AfNeil.

[Martin Callanan @MartinCallanan]

RT @HLConservatives: Tonight, the Leader of the Opposition, Lord True, replied to today’s statement on Iran and the conflict in the Middle…

[Martin Callanan @MartinCallanan]

Great to see Vlad’s concern for morality and international law….🙄

[Martin Callanan @MartinCallanan]

If this is true then it’s fatal for Starmer’s treaty. It contains a crazy clause saying that Mauritius must be informed ‘expeditiously’ if base is used for an attack.

[Connor Stringer @connorstringer]

🚨EXC: w/@Tony_Diver 🚨

Donald Trump is refusing to back Sir Keir Starmer’s Chagos deal again unless the Prime Minister allows the US to use the islands to strike Iran.

The US president is understood to have asked to use Diego Garcia as part of contingency planning for potential bombing raids.

However, Downing Street is concerned that supporting any such strikes by Mr Trumpwould breach international law.

US officials have also demanded confirmation in writing that America will not be required to tell Mauritius about attacks launched from the base after the sovereignty of the islands is transferred.

Ministers are now concerned that it will not be possible to resolve the situation before the end of a 10-week deadline to return the Chagos bill – legislation that underpins the deal – to Parliament for the approval of MPs.

https://t.co/RBbcC1s3iI

[Martin Callanan @MartinCallanan]

Great article by Dan Hannan on Starmer’s Chagos surrender. https://t.co/6H2OMHfMBi

[Daniel Hannan @DanielJHannan]

CHAGOS: AN APPEAL TO LABOUR
There is, as I keep pointing out, no enthusiasm for the Diego Garcia surrender on the Labour benches. Its only supporters are Keir Starmer, Richard Hermer, Philippe Sands, Peter Mandelson and Jonathan Powell.
Even a month ago, Labour cannot have imagined quite how awful the politics would become. They are handing away a pristine marine conservation zone, betraying a dispossessed black population and paying billions of pounds more to Mauritius than it would cost to resettle the outer atolls with Chagossians.
Now they are ordering the eviction of those Chagossians who have returned home to stake their claim.
Think about that.
We won’t stop small boats in the Channel, but we lose no time in ordering the removal of British subjects from British territory.
We are slow and reluctant when it comes to deporting illegal immigrants, but we snap into action to evict British Overseas Citizens from a British Overseas Territory.
Labour friends, this is not why you went into politics.
You can see as clearly as the rest of us how shameful all this is. You know that, under any other Labour leader, the whole project would have been dropped long ago.
Well, here is your last chance. Donald Trump has given you a final off-ramp. For the love of justice and decency, take it. If that means replacing Starmer with someone more sensible, so be it.

[Daniel Hannan @DanielJHannan]

We are ordering the removal of British subjects from British territory so that we can hand that territory to a state that has never owned it.
Even if we set aside, for a moment, the ancestral claims of the Chagossians to their own archipelago, this is despicable behaviour.

[Iain Dale 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧 ⚒️ @IainDale]

It is clear from this that the Government has midled Parliament on the Chagos Islands. Surely they must now withdraw the Bill that is in its final parliamentary stages, no matter how embarrassing that would be.

[David Paton @cricketwyvern]

UK trade data for 2025 published yesterday. We now have 10 years of data since the EU ref & 5 since we left the customs union.

Remember the OBR forecast Brexit would reduce UK trade by 15% (hence their forecast of a 4% hit to productivity).

Let’s see how that is working out …

[Martin Callanan @MartinCallanan]

An excellent initiative. Can Tory Peers sign? 😉 https://t.co/HTIwYC5LpN

[Mike Pompeo @mikepompeo]

It's good to hear that the US and UK will protect the US-UK military base in the Chagos Islands.

But that hardly detracts from the utter strategic foolishness of the UK's decision to transfer sovereignty of the islands to a Chinese ally.

[Conservative Peers @HLConservatives]

You can now read the Leader of the Opposition, Lord True's, article on the important role of the House of Lords in holding the Government to account online.

https://t.co/ZDy38xRtvu

[Ross Kempsell @RossKempsell]

Dear Chagos campaigners!

Be on ALERT that Downing Street (currently on fire) will say ANYTHING about President Trump’s position on Chagos as a distraction and obfuscation right now. ***This is called spin - and be prepared to hear much more of it in the coming days.***

Whatever Starmer / No10 says about the US position is IRRELEVANT. It only matters what President Trump says and what then actually occurs.

There are many ways the US could ‘approve’ of a new position from Starmer / changes by UK govt. He could seek to acquire Chagos for the US. Starmer could have dropped elements of the ‘deal’. There are many outcomes in play. And notwithstanding that, the deal may never be implemented for a variety of reasons.

The only thing that matters is you don’t give up. Now is the time to DOUBLE DOWN on the campaign to save Chagos! Based on what my friends in DC continue to tell me, I have every confidence that all will be well.

We were here before, only a matter of weeks ago!

IN TUTELA NOSTRA LIMURIA 🇮🇴🇮🇴🇮🇴

[Conservative Peers @HLConservatives]

@HLConservatives have won their vote to ban the use or possession of smartphones in schools.

The evidence is clear: the Government's guidance has not worked. This Conservative amendment is now crucial for the wellbeing, behaviour and attainment of children at school.

Despite the policy having the support of parents, teachers and health experts, Labour voted against the amendment.

[Conservative Peers @HLConservatives]

Tonight, @HLConservatives won their vote on @dianabarran's amendment to prevent the Government from introducing a cap on the intake of high quality schools, ensuring more children have access to the best education.

Labour voted against the Conservative amendment.

[Martin Callanan @MartinCallanan]

Still no reply to my letter ?@JennyChapman

[Conservative Peers @HLConservatives]

NEW: Shadow Foreign Office Spokesman, Lord Callanan has written to the Foreign Office Minister, Baroness Chapman of Darlington, to confirm that ministers will seek to amend the 1966 Treaty with the USA before proceeding with the Chagos Bill.

[Conservative Peers @HLConservatives]

NEW: Shadow Defence Spokesman, Baroness Goldie, has written to the Foreign Office Minister, Baroness Chapman of Darlington, to confirm that the Pelindaba (Nuclear Weapon-free Zone) Treaty will apply to the Diego Garcia Base when the 2025 UK-Mauritius Treaty comes into effect.