𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge will this week make a last-ditch plea for Labour to abandon its deal to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands and the Diego Garcia military base to Mauritius. Legislation to rubber-stamp the deal will come before Parliament on Monday – and the former defence minister will try to convince Labour MPs this is a disastrous move both for Britain’s security and its finances.

The UK has committed to lease back the base for £101million a year but Mr Cartlidge claims the true cost of the 99-year deal will be £35billion. There is dismay in Conservative circles that the UK is losing sovereignty of the key UK-US Indian Ocean location just when there is rising concern about China’s potential security threat to the UK.

“It is the most extraordinary deal and I think it’s terrible value for money for taxpayers and, at a time when we face the threats we do, even at this late hour, I would love to think that Labour MPs would think again,” he said.

Mr Cartlidge, 51, argues cash would be better spent “on drones for the British Army, not on leasing back a base we already own freehold”.

He fears the UK will look weakened on the international stage.

“Countries give up sovereignty of their territory in two circumstances,” he said. “When they have been defeated militarily or when they have been offered a vast sum of money.

“In this case, Mauritius doesn’t have a Navy – while on Chagos we have the US Navy – and at the same time they’re not offering us billions, we’re going to give them billions of pounds.”

The loss of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands comes as he argues it is vital Britain stands up to Russia from a position of strength.

He “very much” hopes the US will arm Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles which would put Moscow within striking range.

“I think we have got to do everything possible to support Ukraine,” he said. “We showed when we donated Storm Shadows – which are very long range missiles though not as long range as Tomahawks – this gave much greater capability to Ukraine.

“It put pressure on the Russian armed forces.”

He wants to bring an end to President Putin’s military being able to “behave with abandon”, killing civilians and cutting off energy supplies to villages and towns as winter nears.

President Trump has hiked up pressure on Moscow and the father of four is confident support for Ukraine will not falter.

“Some people have questioned the commitment of allies to this. I’ve never questioned it,” he said.

“I’ve always believed the US, just like ourselves, Germany and others, would stand by Ukraine and we’ve done that and we’re going to keep doing that.”

But as well as arming Ukraine, he argues it is critical Britain re-arms with urgency.

“We did the right thing to give Storm Shadows to Ukraine but it means we have fewer long range missiles than we did,” he said, adding: “We worked so quickly to rearm Ukraine. We need to learn those lessons for our own armed forces so we can rapidly rearm as well.”

Despite the years of carnage in Ukraine and Russia’s slide into violent autocracy, he remains an optimist that much better days are ahead.

“It seems highly unlikely but I would like to think one day Russia will turn its back on having a regime that always seems prone to aggression and confrontation,” he said. We had the Cold War and now we have something not unlike the Cold War – wouldn’t it be wonderful to have something like the peace we thought had after 1989 and have it for real with a more democratic Russia?”

He continued: “I want to seem them prosper as well but for that to happen there has to be peace and meaningful peace.”

The horrifying spectacle of war in Europe and the Middle East, and mounting concern about China’s growing power, has caused many Britons to worry that the peace the UK has now known for generations cannot be taken for granted. Mr Cartlidge argues ramping up defence spending and uniting in support of the armed forces is vital.

“If we stand strong we will deter the aggression we are fearful of,” he said. “Coming together as a country is really important.”

Talking about the reality of potential dangers is essential, he argues, saying: “If we really want to increase defence spending and encourage the country to recognise why that is necessary, the crucial element is to be open about the threat.”

He is in the shadow cabinet at a time when the Conservative party faces its own battle for survival, and he makes the case the country should trust the Tories with the nation’s security.

“People say Reform are the true Conservatives,” he said. “True Conservatives believe in standing up to dictators, like Churchill did to Hitler, like Margaret Thatcher did to Galtieri and like Boris Johnson and his successors have done to Putin.”

Mr Cartlidge’s political awakening came in 1996 at the age of 22 when he visited Romania. He witnessed the horrors of an orphanage and heard first-hand tales of what life was like in Moscow’s orbit.

Describing this “lightbulb moment”, he said: “I stayed with a family who told me about life under Communism. I had never been party political up to this point…

“When I came back to the UK I felt much more pride in what was good about the country, rather than just seeing its faults. I think that’s really important.

“People take for granted the freedom we have to live in a parliamentary democracy.”

Inspired by the sitcom Friends, he launched a company to help flatmates buy their property. He then founded the shared ownership property portal Share to Buy.

Restoring the Conservatives’ reputation as a champion of a property-owning democracy is “critical” to the party’s future, he argues, and he is excited by Kemi Badenoch’s plan to abolish stamp duty.

“A property-owning democracy was the great vision of many Conservatives, particularly Margaret Thatcher and it’s brilliant Kemi has reignited that vision,” he said.

He considers it the “sort of thing which can help unlock our economy which at the moment I’m afraid is going nowhere”.

His Westminster office is decorated with paintings by the artist Hermione Hammond, his great-aunt who was well-known for her depictions of bomb-damaged London. Mr Cartlidge expresses himself behind a drum kit in a band which includes fellow Tory MP Mark Garnier on bass.

Guitarist David Morris and singer Will Quince lost their seats in last year’s election. The bandmates have never settled on a nam but callers to a radio show suggested Tories Amos and Run DCMS, in a nod to singer-songwriter Tori Amos and hip-hop legends Run DMC, respectively.

Home life with two teenagers aged 18 and 16 and 11-year-old twins has given him a new sense of the importance of the day job, working to strengthen the country’s defences.

“I want to see a country of peace and prosperity,” he said. “It really, really matters.

“It matters for them.”