Lammy’s actions send a clear message to our most important ally: Britain can no longer be trusted to uphold shared security interests
It has been said that foreign policy is the ultimate proving ground for political competence. It demands clarity, decisiveness, and above all, an unshakable commitment to the national interest. Some of our country’s greatest statesmen have served as Foreign Secretary: Lord Palmerston, who put Britain on the map as a global power in the 19th century; Bevin, who was instrumental in the creation of NATO and Eden – before Suez – who shaped the Allied war strategy in the 20th.
But for the 21st century and by these standards, our great Mastermind, David Lammy’s tenure as Foreign Secretary has been nothing short of a disaster – a flailing performance defined by capitulation, naivety and a dangerous disregard for Britain’s long-term strategic interests. His mishandling of the Chagos Islands negotiations represents one of the most feeble diplomatic surrenders in modern times. The Lammy doctrine appears to favour appeasement over robust defence of the national interest; surrender over hard-nosed pragmatism. He’s beginning to look more and more like a pound-shop Lord Halifax.
Lammy’s decision to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, while agreeing to pay Mauritius £9 billion over 99 years (some of which would be front-loaded) to lease them back can only be described as a humiliating relinquishment of one of Britain’s most strategically vital territories. Or, “irresponsible”, as former First Sea Lord, Admiral Lord West of Spithead, put it. Or perhaps, “a monumental waste of taxpayer cash just as we teeter on the brink of a financial crisis”. As neither the Chagossians nor the new Mauritian government seem to be impressed by Lammy’s efforts, it could also be fittingly depicted as an absolute shambles. This has gone belly up, leaving the Government begging the Mauritians for a deal before President Trump arrives at the White House next week.
These islands are not a mere colonial relic to be discarded in a fit of post-imperial guilt; they are a keystone of Western defence in the Indian Ocean, home to the Diego Garcia military air base, jointly operated with the United States. This base plays a crucial role in countering Chinese influence whose growing naval presence threatens the balance of power in the region. Strategic defence notwithstanding, Lammy’s willingness to give away sovereignty rests on the dubious premise of a 2019 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice. Never mind that this opinion is non-binding and ignores the fact that Britain legally purchased the Chagos Islands in 1965, after governing since 1814. By treating this ruling as gospel, Lammy has prioritised virtue signalling and the “lefty lawyer” brigade, setting a precedent that weakens the UK’s territorial claims elsewhere and invites future challenges from adversaries.
The fallout from this decision goes beyond the shores of the Indian Ocean. By jeopardising Diego Garcia, Lammy has personally undermined the UK’s special relationship with the United States. Washington has long viewed the base as indispensable to its Indo-Pacific strategy. Lammy’s actions send a clear message to our most important ally: Britain can no longer be trusted to uphold shared security interests.
In contrast, the United States has shown remarkable clarity in defending its own interests. Under Donald Trump, for instance, there was no hesitation in asserting American sovereignty or leveraging power to secure advantageous deals. Whether it was his renegotiation of NAFTA to secure preferential terms with Mexico and Canada, confronting China on trade or his high stakes diplomacy with North Korea, Trump understood that negotiation is about strength, not supplication – a lesson that Labour appears fundamentally incapable of learning.
Ironically, the only hope of salvaging Britain’s sovereignty in this debacle may lie in the hands of Donald Trump. Trump’s transactional, America-first approach to foreign policy offers a stark contrast to Lammy’s fecklessness. Judging by what the incoming American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio has said about the deal, it is clear that the Trump administration views the Chagos Islands as too important to lose and will hopefully intervene to prevent their handover. Let’s hope that this deal is rejected by the Mauritians and that President Trump finally kills it off for good, never to be heard of again.
David Lammy’s tenure as Foreign Secretary has been marked by a catastrophic lack of strategic vision. Instead of defending Britain’s sovereignty, he has chosen to kowtow to international opinion. Instead of strengthening alliances, he has weakened them. This is not diplomacy; it is weakness dressed up as moral righteousness.
History teaches us that appeasement does not buy peace; it only emboldens those who would challenge our position. Successful diplomacy begins with knowing what you are willing to defend at all costs. If Britain is to reclaim its place as a serious global player, it must abandon the Lammy doctrine of capitulation, rediscover its strength and ditch one of the worst deals in the history of our foreign policy.
