Wes Streeting has addressed what he called “fundamental differences” with the United States amid serious fears over a threat to the special relationship.
The Health Secretary delved into the apparent rift while being grilled by GB News’s Camilla Tominey on the fate of the Chagos deal and the Government’s “delaying and dithering” on defence.
He was speaking to The People’s Channel as it emerged that the bill to cede sovereignty to Mauritius had been removed from next month's King's Speech.
The legislation underpinning the transfer of the islands from British control will be omitted from the declaration after President Donald Trump publicly slammed the deal as "an act of great stupidity".
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While Downing Street maintains its commitment to the agreement and intends to seek a change of heart from the US President, officials have conceded that proceeding without Washington's endorsement is impossible.
“What we're trying to do is to secure the long-term future of the Chagos Islands,” Mr Streeting told Camilla, defending the plan.
He called the archipelago “essential for Britain's national security, American national security and our collective security”.
“We were always clear that we weren't going to proceed without the Americans,” the Health Secretary insisted.
Wes Streeting has spoken about Britain's ‘fundamental differences’ with the US
|GB NEWS
Nevertheless, he conceded that the “need to iron out some of those disagreements and difficulties”.
“We've had our differences with America, some quite fundamental ones.
“That doesn't mean that the relationship is less strong,” Mr Streeting stressed.
Camilla shot back: “It doesn't look very strong when you've got the US presidents comparing the Prime Minister to Chamberlain.”
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'That doesn't mean that the relationship is less strong,' the Health Secretary insisted
|GETTY
President Trump has repeatedly hit out at Keir Starmer over his response to the war in Iran.
He has also slammed the state of Britain’s armed forces, branding the Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carriers as “toys”.
To that end, Camilla then grilled Mr Streeting on an apparent lack of action on the Labour Government to arrest the decline of the nation’s defence.
“You had a strategic defence review that called for urgent defence spending, and now you've kicked the investment plan into the long grass.
Camilla Tominey slammed Labour for 'delaying and dithering' on defence
|GB NEWS
“It's not a central priority of this government, as the Prime Minister claimed recently. You're just delaying and dithering,” she slammed.
“On the contrary, we want to get it right,” the Health Secretary parried.
“We don't want to make the same mistakes as our predecessors in coming up with pie-in-the-sky commitments to spend X by a specific date.
“We want to make sure we've got a detailed plan that sets out the increased defence investment and what it will be spent on, so that we've got a plan that will actually be delivered. That is a contrast to what we've seen before,” Mr Streeting declared.