Chris Heaton-Harris

@NavyLookout @Strava Sacré bleu…!

😬 Location of 🇫🇷French aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle given away by sailor using @Strava running app while jogging on the flight deck.

@tshulton Too true!!!

@chhcalling Bet he couldn't drive a forklift as well you

Riding on an old Routemaster RML2735 on route 65 to Ealing Broadway. Driven by Rail Minister, Lord Hendy! He’s a much cooler Rail Minster than I ever was…

Disappointing to see Reeves rehashing claims that Brexit has reduced GDP by "as much as 8%". This figure is made up by comparing UK growth since 2016 with various mismatched groups of other countries and assuming that any shortfall can only be due to Brexit. Obviously flawed.

This is extraordinarily misinformed. Ed Miliband just bought offshore wind on a twenty year contract at a HIGHER price than gas power is now during an energy price spike. They are locking us into crisis-level prices for decades. That’s what they call ‘control’.

Alas too true… Congrats to the genius who made this…

“I didn’t even get to finish my cup of tea”. Perhaps this was the moment @Keir_Starmer decided enough was enough and allowed our US allies to use bases on our territory…

Over the past 36 hours, Iran has attacked more Arab and Muslim countries than Israel has in its entire history. And most of these countries aren't even involved in the conflict. The Iranian regime launched 460+ missiles and 350+ drones at 11 countries across the Middle East: 1. Israel 🇮🇱 2. Jordan 🇯🇴 3. Kuwait 🇰🇼 4. Oman 🇴🇲 5. Bahrain 🇧🇭 6. Qatar 🇶🇦 7. UAE 🇦🇪 8. Iraq 🇮🇶 9. Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 10. Cyprus 🇨🇾 11. Syria 🇸🇾

For the love of all that is holy, man, just stop. You have sidelined our country. Whether from fear of anti-Israel voters or from exaggerated deference to foreign courts, you have excluded us from the conversation. Fine. But please stop advertising that fact.

Starmer’s u-turn to allow US to use British bases for ‘defensive’ strikes in Iran is another ludicrous u-turn - it’s a step in the right direction but he has done huge damage to the special relationship and in Gulf by holding out for 48hrs for nothing. He’s not very good

I disagree with Lord Hermer KC, the Attorney General. I don’t accept that international law requires our Prime Minister to deliver a pusillanimous statement setting out the UK’s position whose first point is “We did not participate”. I’ve set out the gist of my approach below. ⬇️   The Prime Minister has refused publicly to support the US and Israel strikes, and also refuses to allow the US to use UK bases, because of international law advice he has reportedly received from Lord Hermer.   International law ought to provide a mechanism to restrain and, if necessary, end despotic and tyrannical regimes such as that in Iran. If the doctrines of international law prove unable to restrain Iranian terrorism and mass murder, and tie the hands of democracies while forcing them to stand and watch Iranian atrocities, international law will have failed. It will have become a fundamentally immoral system of law, and one which is worse than worthless in the modern world.   To be clear: I don’t believe that it is. I think international law is important, and both can and should provide a just legal order. I do, however, have serious questions as to the moral attitudes of some of its expositors; too many international lawyers serenely promote an analysis which ultimately protects tyrants.   Seven points, and some questions:   1 The inherent right to use force in the face of an imminent attack from a hostile nation which is responsible for a pattern of hostile actions exists for good reason: a country cannot be expected to remain idle and just wait for the next attack.   2 Iran has repeatedly threatened to attack the UK’s bases and personnel. Those threats come in the context of persistent Iranian attempts to launch attacks on UK soil, too; the Director General of MI5 has stated, and the PM confirmed last night, that the UK has responded to tens of Iranian-backed plots, presenting potentially lethal threats to British citizens and UK residents. There is also a constant barrage of cyberattacks; while not all cyberattacks are armed attacks in sense of Article 51 of the UN Charter, some may be, and all confirm not just hostile intent but action pursuant to such intent.   3 The UK’s long-standing allies, the US and Israel, were right to consider that they faced further attacks prior to their recent military action, given that (i) Iran has previously attacked both states directly and also through its many proxies; (ii) Iran has repeatedly stated its intent to destroy Israel; (iii) Iran was assessed to be on the brink of acquiring a nuclear capability with uranium enrichment at 60% (which can only be for military use); and (iv) Iran already possessed – as demonstrated by its recent attacks – a sophisticated and effective long-range delivery capability which Israel cannot fully neutralise with defensive weapons.   4 The acquisition of a nuclear capability by Iran represents a genocidal risk for Israel and its people. Iran’s repeatedly stated aim is to wipe the State of Israel, and its inhabitants, off the face of the earth. The slogan of the proxies through which Iran has often attacked Israel is: “God is greater, death to America, death to Israel, curse to the Jews, victory to Islam”. In these circumstances, whether they are characterised as part of an ongoing armed conflict with Iran or as a new use of force based on self-defence, Israel’s actions are justifiable.   5 The UK (and also the US) is permitted under international law to use force to aid another state which is acting in self-defence. Moreover, the UK is under an obligation in international law is to prevent genocide, not just to stop it: stopping an on-going genocide is required, but it necessarily means that action was taken too late. 1/2

Because while legal tobacco sales are falling, the illicit market is booming. HMRC's own tax gap data shows 1 in 10 cigarettes smoked in the UK is illicit. For hand-rolling tobacco, it's 1 in 4. People haven't stopped smoking, they've just stopped buying taxed tobacco.

I stand with our allies in the US and Israel as they take on the threat of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its vile regime. The same regime that carries out attacks on the UK and on our citizens, that seeks to build nuclear weapons that would threaten our country and that brutally repressed pro-democracy protests only months ago and murdered thousands of its own people. Under my leadership, the Conservative Party will always put our national security first and work with our allies to make the world a safer place.

UK response this morning has been woeful under Starmer - Failed to support US operation - even verbally in UK Gov statement, which did not properly condemn the Iranian regime. PM has not spoken to POTUS or regional allies - Zero meaningful support extended to regional allies even as their territory has been targeted. UK closest partners in region are being bombed - nothing forthcoming from Starmer - FCDO was slow to update its travel advice for British nationals, shelter in place only just issued this morning by several UK posts - COBR only just convening when it was clear yesterday this action was imminent - No media appearance or information / clip from PM or FS Starmer is an incompetent and dangerous Prime Minister. He is wrecking the UK’s reputation in the Middle East and with our closest ally the US This is non-functional and on a Saturday morning Starmer is clearly totally absent

Starmer really is pathetic. This equivocal language, neither for nor against, weak and woolly, timid beyond belief, is unfitting for a national leader. If he just made a decision he would generate respect, if not agreement. But he can’t, he won’t. What is the point of him?

A statement on the Gorton and Denton by-election result.

I wonder if @UKLabour will now decide that voter identification is a good thing after all?

Timing the USA hockey team's entrance to the exact moment Trump called them out is the kind of unscripted American moment that cuts through every focus group. Pure gold. Literally. #SOTU2026

Hi @MartinSLewis, thank you. I really appreciate that, and honestly, don’t worry. I do love a feisty debate! It helps people understand what the real issues are. You and I agree on the principle: student loans have become a scam. It took me eight years to pay mine off. I made my last payment in 2011, and I remember how happy I was, and my debt was only £14,000. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a young person with £40,000 debt today. Whatever the Coalition government brought in back in 2012, it’s clearly not working for the world of 2026. So I’d genuinely love to come on your show and debate my plan vs yours. I’m putting student loans on the political agenda because we’ve got to do more for young people. It’s just one part of our New Deal For Young People. As the opposition, Conservatives may not be able to change the law right now, certainly not without cross-party support, but we can set the agenda especially while the government seems distracted by all sorts of other things. In the meantime, I’ll keep doing my job: setting out practical solutions and showing how we can make life in this country better, especially for young people. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Congratulations to @cricketsrilanka on their stunning victory today v @CricketAus in the @cricketworldcup I was privileged to watch them play v @englandcricket in the 3 one day internationals & you could see how well they could play! Really hope they do well this tournament.