Summary

  • Keir Starmer says he "will not yield" on the future of Greenland "under threats of tariffs"

  • Starmer was speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, where he was pressed by Kemi Badenoch on recent comments from Donald Trump - who says he will impose 10% tariffs on European countries that oppose his plan to take over Greenland

  • Badenoch says she agrees with Starmer on Greenland - but then says on Chagos, the UK is "giving away territory that we own, and paying £35bn for the privilege"

  • The clash comes after Donald Trump had an apparent change of heart on the government's plan to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands

  • The UK wants to give up the territory, then lease back the existing UK-US military base there. The US administration previously backed the deal - but yesterday, Trump called it an "act of great stupidity"

  • Starmer says President Trump "deployed those words" on Chagos for the "express purpose" of pressuring the UK on Greenland

Media caption,

Trump is trying to pressure me on Greenland - but I won't yield, Starmer tells Badenoch

  1. 'I will not yield': Trump's Chagos comments are actually about Greenland, says PMpublished at 13:22 GMT

    Media caption,

    'Britain will not yield' on Greenland, PM says

    Islands that are thousands of miles apart dominated Prime Minister's Questions in London. Here's a recap of the session:

    • Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch urged the PM to scrap the UK's plan to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. She echoed Donald Trump's comments - who yesterday called the deal an "act of great stupidity"
    • Keir Starmer said the US president had previously used different words to describe the Chagos deal, and claimed the apparent change of heart was designed to change the UK's position Greenland - something the prime minister said he would not do
    • The prime minister struck a steely tone on Greenland, the BBC's political editor Chris Mason says
    • Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey urged Starmer to "stand up strongly to President Trump" - while Labour MP Steve Witherden warned that the US president "doesn't listen to grovelling"
    • Elsewhere, Reform's Robert Jenrick raised the murder of Lenny Scott, a former prison officer, while Conservative shadow minister Richard Holden was asked to leave the chamber

    That's all for our live Commons coverage - in Davos, President Trump is about to address world leaders. Follow that speech live here.

    Media caption,

    Watch: Money for Chagos deal should go to the military - Badenoch

  2. Prime Minister's Questions - but Trump takes centre stagepublished at 13:10 GMT

    Vicki Young
    Politics Live presenter

    After a PMQs dominated by Donald Trump’s demands over Greenland, the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy had strong words for President Trump on Politics Live.

    "It is not acceptable to threaten your own allies with tariffs, to try and undermine deals that we have done as two governments working collectively in our national interests… in order to try to take a sovereign territory of another nation.

    "That is a principle on which we will not yield."

    Helen Whately, part of Kemi Badenoch’s shadow cabinet, said that while the Conservatives agree on the need to stand firm on Greenland, Keir Starmer was wrong to "give away an important national security asset" – referring to the Chagos Islands.

    Whately said the Conservatives would not have done that deal had they been in government.

  3. BBC Verify

    Is there a £28bn shortfall in the defence budget?published at 13:05 GMT

    By Anthony Reuben

    At Prime Minister’s Questions, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: “last week… the head of the armed forces warned that our military faces a £28bn shortfall."

    She was referring to a report in The Times that Head of the Armed Forces Richard Knighton had warned the prime minister at a Downing Street meeting before Christmas about a shortfall over the next four years.

    A few days later, Knighton was asked about these reports, external when he appeared before a committee of MPs.

    He definitely did not confirm the figure, describing it as “speculation in the media” and stressing that the meeting being reported on was classified.

    When pressed on whether there was a shortfall he said: “the cost of the programme depends on a whole bunch of assumptions that we might make, and ultimately it will be a matter for ministers to make those, based on the advice that I and others offer.”

    When I asked Bee Boileau from the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank about the £28bn figure, she pointed out that we don’t yet have published plans for defence spending over the next four years, so it’s hard to assess whether there will be a shortfall.

    Earlier, my colleague Ben Chu crunched the numbers to see how much the Chagos deal might cost the UK.

  4. Tory MP asked to leave Commons by the Speakerpublished at 12:50 GMT

    Joshua Nevett
    Reporting from the House of Commons

    Some drama in the Commons, as Conservative MP Richard Holden is asked to leave by the Speaker over comments he made while the prime minister was answering a question at the dispatch box.

    A question about special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) was asked, and as part of his answer, the PM spoke about Tory MPs defecting to Reform UK.

    Holden could be heard imploring the PM to answer the question about SEND.

    At that point, Speaker Lindsay Hoyle intervened and asked Holden to leave the chamber.

  5. Starmer asked question on possible social media ban for under-16spublished at 12:49 GMT

    Labour MP Fred Thomas asks a question on a possible social media ban for under-16s, something Westminster has been discussing widely this week.

    He says the average 12-year-old spends 29 hours per week on a smartphone and asks if the issue demands swift action.

    Starmer replies that as he is a father of two teenagers he understands the concern, and a consultation will look at the question of the age children can access social media as well as restrictions on addictive features.

    Ofsted are also looking at phone use in schools, Starmer adds.

  6. New Reform MP Jenrick raises matter of 'exceptionally brave' prison officerpublished at 12:45 GMT

    Media caption,

    Watch: Jenrick speaks at the first PMQs since he joined Reform UK last week

    Former shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick is up next. It is the first PMQs since he joined Reform UK last week.

    He uses his question to ask about the family of Lenny Scott, who he described as an "exceptionally brave" prison officer, who he says uncovered corruption in his prison and was "hunted down" and murdered years later.

    Because he died after leaving active service, Jenrick says, there was never any compensation paid to his children, and he asks where the prime minister would "correct" this and ensure his children have support.

    Starmer thanks him and says it will be looked into as a matter of urgency.

  7. South East Water outages 'totally unacceptable' says Starmerpublished at 12:42 GMT

    Kent MP Katie Lam asks the PM about the water crisis for her constituents, after some 30,000 properties had no water during almost a week of supply problems across Kent and Sussex.

    She asks whether supplier South East Water "should be ashamed to be schooled in crisis response" by emergency services volunteers, and if he has lost confidence in its chief executive.

    Starmer calls the situation "totally unacceptable" and says it needs to be fixed. He says the government welcomes the investigation from regulator Ofwat into the company.

  8. MP labels Trump 'thug in the White House'published at 12:37 GMT

    Labour MP Steve Witherden asks if the PM will commit to retaliatory tariffs, after Trump threatened tariffs on the UK and several other countries over their stance on Greenland.

    "The thug in the White House has shown he doesn't listen to grovelling," Witherden says.

    Starmer replies that he has made his position clear and he won't yield on his principles.

    But he says that the government will protect the national interest, and hurtling into a trade war will hurt working people, he says.

  9. Analysis

    Starmer strikes a steely tone on Greenlandpublished at 12:35 GMT

    Chris Mason
    Political editor

    There was a steely tone to the prime minister’s remarks today on President Trump’s designs on Greenland.

    He sought to dismiss the reopening of the domestic political arguments over the Chagos Islands as a lever the president is using because of his frustrations over the UK’s stance on Greenland.

    Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch - who backs the government on their Greenland position - strongly disagrees with ministers on Chagos.

    The government insists the Chagos deal is done.

  10. Recap: Badenoch presses PM on Chagos as Starmer defends Greenland positionpublished at 12:30 GMT

    Badenoch has finished with her questions, but the PM is still facing backbench MPs.

    The Tory leader focused her questions on the Chagos Islands and Donald Trump's criticism of the UK's deal.

    She urged the PM to scrap the agreement and spend the money on defence instead.

    The PM said the US president has previously expressed support for the deal and that his more recent attack had been designed to force the UK to change its position on Greenland - something Starmer said he would not do.

    Badenoch accused Starmer of being too weak to stand up for the UK national interest, while the PM said she had failed to show solidarity on the Greenland issue.

  11. Relationship with the US matters, says Starmerpublished at 12:25 GMT

    Ed DaveyImage source, UK Parliament

    Time for leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey.

    He says the Commons remembers when ex-prime minister Tony Blair "tied himself to an unpopular American president and a disastrous foreign policy" as close allies "looked on in horror".

    He asks if Starmer will "avoid Blair's historic mistake" and join Canadian Prime Minister Carney and French President Macron and "stand up strongly to President Trump".

    Starmer repeats how he "will not yield" in relation to Greenland, but says: "The relationship with the US matters".

    The PM says the UK has to work with its allies, including the US, to resolve Russia's war in Ukraine. He calls it "foolhardy" to think the UK should abandon its relationship with America.

  12. Starmer says he has spent last week working with Nato alliespublished at 12:23 GMT

    Badenoch says Starmer is too weak on what she calls the Chinese "spy hub" embassy, the Chagos islands, protecting veterans and funding for the armed forces.

    She asks whether he is too weak to stand up for the UK national interest.

    Starmer responds by saying that he spent the last week working with Nato allies to protect the national interest and working for unity in the alliance – while he claims that she has failed to rise to the occasion and show solidarity.

    She spent the last week trying to hold together what is left of the Tory party, he says.

  13. Front bench would be 'empty' if PM sacked MPs undermining Labour - Badenochpublished at 12:20 GMT

    As a reminder, this is the first PMQs session since ex-shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick's defection to Reform UK last week. Badenoch says if the prime minister sacked everyone undermining Labour, his "front bench would be empty".

    She moves on to asking the PM whether he will vote in support of plans the Conservatives are putting forward, which she claims will protect veterans from unfair prosecutions.

    Starmer says the last government passed legislation which was "struck down" and left veterans "exposed", whereas he says his government is putting in measures to "protect them".

  14. Why does the UK have control of the Chagos Islands and why has it reached this deal?published at 12:18 GMT

    A map of the Chagos Islands shows how far away it is from the UK

    We've been hearing a lot about the Chagos Islands deal at PMQs today - here's a reminder of the details of that deal.

    Last year, the UK struck a deal to return sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius, after a UN court ruled in 2019 that the UK's administration of Chagos is wrong and should be given up.

    The islands were separated from Mauritius in 1965, when Mauritius was still a British colony. Britain purchased the islands for £3m but Mauritius has argued that it was illegally forced to give them away as part of a deal to gain independence.

    The UK reached an agreement that would see Britain retain control of a UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the territory and a key position in the Indian Ocean.

    A government spokesperson said on Tuesday that ministers had acted "because the base on Diego Garcia was under threat after court decisions undermined our position and would have prevented it operating as intended in future".

  15. Analysis

    Jenrick seems to enjoy being thrust into spotlightpublished at 12:16 GMT

    Joshua Nevett
    Reporting from the Commons

    Media caption,

    'She read the guy’s defection letter and then decided to sack him' - Starmer on Jenrick

    Robert Jenrick smiles and shakes his head as Starmer brings up his defection to Reform UK.

    He seems to be enjoying being thrust into the spotlight at PMQs.

    His new Reform colleagues appear pleased about the attention too.

    But Badenoch shrugs off the defection and hits back: “When I had someone undermining my party, I sacked him.”

  16. Money for Chagos deal should go to the military - Badenochpublished at 12:16 GMT

    Badenoch says the money spent by the government on Chagos should go towards the armed forces.

    She tells the Commons that the head of the armed forces has warned that the British military faces a £28bn shortfall.

    "Is he right?" she asks the PM.

    Starmer says this government is spending more on defence than any government since the last Labour government.

  17. Badenoch urges Starmer to scrap Chagos dealpublished at 12:16 GMT

    Badenoch repeats Trump's words calling the Chagos deal an "act of total stupidity".

    "We didn't need Trump to say that, we've been saying it for the past 12 months," she adds.

    "President Trump thought that we were doing this, that the prime minister is doing this, for money.

    "The prime minister is giving away territory we own and paying £35bn for the privilege. Why doesn't he just scrap this terrible deal and put the money into our armed forces?"

    Starmer repeats that the purpose of Trump's words was to get him to "yield on his principle".

    He says Badenoch is backing arguments intended to undermine Britain's position on Greenland.

  18. Trump 'deployed those words' on Chagos to pressure UK on Greenland - Starmerpublished at 12:14 GMT

    Media caption,

    Watch: Money for Chagos deal should go to the military - Badenoch

    Badenoch moves on to ask the PM if he agrees that people from the Chagos Islands should get to decide their own future, as he believes the people of Greenland should do.

    Starmer says he made his position clear, and that Trump’s words on Chagos yesterday were different from the previous words of support when we met at the White House.

    Remember: Trump said on Tuesday that the UK's deal to hand sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius is "an act of GREAT STUPIDITY".

    Starmer says Trump's apparent change of heart on Chagos was for "the express purpose of putting pressure on me and Britain in relation to my values and principles on the future of Greenland".

    Starmer says Trump "wants me to yield on my position and I'm not going to do so" and that he is surprised Badenoch has jumped on the bandwagon and chosen opportunism over the UK's national interest.

  19. 'Britain will not yield' on Greenland - PMpublished at 12:08 GMT

    StarmerImage source, UK Parliament

    Starmer reiterates his stance on the future of Greenland and says Trump's threats to impose tariffs on countries that oppose him are "completely wrong".

    "I will not yield. Britain will not yield on our principles and values about the future of Greenland under threats of tariffs," he says.

    He also says the prime minister of Denmark is coming to the UK tomorrow for bilateral talks.

  20. Badenoch asks Starmer about his conversations with Trump over Greenlandpublished at 12:06 GMT

    Kemi badenochImage source, UK Parliament

    Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch kicks off PMQs by asking the PM about the issue of Trump seeking to acquire Greenland.

    She acknowledges that she and Starmer agree that Greenland's future should only be decided by its people.

    Badenoch then asks if Trump agrees or disagrees with the PM's view.