WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Chagos Islands deal, surprise Kneecap gig, and a banned 'therapy alpaca'

 
today's politics story

UK signs £3.4bn Chagos Islands deal

What happened
The UK has agreed to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a £3.4 billion deal. As part of the agreement, Britain will lease back the largest island Diego Garcia for 99 years to maintain a joint US-UK military base there, paying £101 million annually.

Who said what
There was "no alternative" to this agreement, Starmer said at the UK's military headquarters yesterday. Defending its cost, the prime minister said it was "part and parcel of using Britain's reach to keep us safe at home", and was less than the cost of running one aircraft carrier for a year.

However, there is some "confusion over the government's calculations" of £3.4 billion, according to Sky News. If inflation were to remain zero for the next century, the full cost would work out to about £10 billion over 99 years. But assuming an average of 2% inflation, the broadcaster's analysis suggests it could rise as high as £30 billion. The figures are a "sleight of hand", agreed Sam Ashworth-Hayes in The Telegraph. "Quite why, having signed an embarrassingly defeatist treaty," Starmer is also assuming zero inflation "will have to remain a mystery."

What next?
Parliament will debate ratifying the deal, amid fierce criticism that it weakens UK sovereignty and security. The Chagos Islands row was a "diplomatic boil than needed to be lanced", said James Landale on the BBC, but MPs and commentators continue to argue over the agreement's merits and limitations.

 
 
today's music story

Kneecap holds surprise London gig

What happened
Irish language rap trio Kneecap performed a surprise sold-out gig at London’s 100 Club last night just a day after one of its members, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh (aka Mo Chara, pictured above), was charged with a terror offence. The charge relates to the alleged display of a Hezbollah-supporting flag during a November 2023 concert in Kentish Town. The band is still due to headline the Wide Awake Festival in south London today.

Who said what
In a defiant social media statement, Kneecap denied any wrongdoing and called the charge "political policing" and a "carnival of distraction", arguing that the prosecution serves to silence dissent over Gaza.

Kneecap has been controversial for some time, but the "intensity and scrutiny" around the band has grown since its performance at the Coachella festival, said LBC, when it attempted to raise awareness of issues in Palestine. Sharon Osbourne accused the band of "hate speech" and of turning Coachella into a "Hamas fan club".

What next?
Ó hAnnaidh is set to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 18 June. Despite calls from politicians for future appearances – including Glastonbury – to be cancelled, Kneecap remains booked for major festival performances.

 
 
Today's population story

Net migration halved last year, says ONS

What happened
Net migration to the UK fell by almost 50% last year compared to 2023, according to the Office of National Statistics. New estimates found 431,000 more people arrived in the UK than left over the 12-month period, compared to 860,000 a year earlier – "the largest numerical drop on record", said the BBC.

Who said what
The decrease was driven by "declining numbers of people coming to work and study in the UK following changes introduced by the previous Conservative government", said the broadcaster, as well as by the departure of students who came to the UK on study visas.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper promised that the government would "further reduce net migration" by implementing the measures set out in last week's immigration white paper.

What next?
Both Labour and Conservative figures are "celebrating" the drop, said The Independent. But experts have warned that Labour must balance cutting migration with the need to support Britain's ailing public services given the major staffing shortfalls in key sectors such as care and construction.

 
 

It's not all bad

Gloucester Services has topped a new Which? survey ranking nearly 100 motorway service stations across Britain. Praised for its cleanliness, food, shops and scenic setting, it scored an 85% rating. The M5 stop is part of the Westmorland Family business that also owns Tebay in Cumbria and Cairn Lodge in Lanarkshire, which ranked second and fourth respectively in the poll. Other top-rated stops include Moto's Rugby Services in third place and Extra's Leeds Skelton Lake in fifth.

 
 
under the radar

The Japanese salarymen with a side hustle as cheerleaders 

When you think of cheerleaders, the usual image that springs to mind is that of pom-pom-wielding young women pulling off acrobatic flips and spins in colourful costumes.

But in Japan an entirely new demographic is entering the female-dominated ranks of cheerleading: male office workers. During the week the members of Cheer Re-Man's are "quintessential" Japanese salarymen, said Reuters, squeezing on to "crowded trains" to work behind a desk. But at the weekend they transform into something quite different.

Formed in 2023, Cheer Re-Man's – a hybrid of "cheerleading" and "salaryman" – is made up of alumni from the elite Waseda University's male cheerleading squad. From Monday to Friday they work in sectors like real estate and marketing, yet they "balance their professional lives" with a "passion for cheerleading".

The group "finds joy" in cheerleading, said the South China Morning Post, and, thanks to its thrilling performances, it's "injecting some high-flying excitement into Japan's typically buttoned-down" business world.

One 61-year-old housewife became a fan after hearing about the group on social media. "In Japan, we're all going through a lot," said Yasuko Yamaki, but watching them "putting in so much without giving up makes me cry ... it's so inspirational."

Although the Cheer Re-Man's cheer squad is simply a hobby for its members, the "unusual sight" of these Japanese "corporate warriors being launched seven metres into the air" has earned them at least one paid gig: advertising the Uniqlo suits they wear for their performances.

 
 
on this day

23 May 1785

Benjamin Franklin announces his invention of bifocal glasses. Eyewear technology has come some way since then. Meta was early to the smart glasses market through its collaboration with Ray-Ban, which came out in 2023. Now Apple is planning to debut its first pair of smart glasses next year, according to a report from Bloomberg, which will reportedly come with Siri-enabled cameras, microphones and speakers.

 
 
Today's newspapers

Keir Starmer's Chagos deal will cost the UK up to £30bn, claims The Telegraph, and the PM is accused of "lying to the public" with "dodgy accounting" in the Mauritius deal. It's a "cave-in", says Metro. There are "fears of fresh NHS strikes" after doctors "denounced" pay rises of up to 5.4% this year as "derisory", says The Guardian. Ed Miliband's net zero carbon target is "completely mad" and a "threat to national security", the former head of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove tells The i Paper.

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Alpaca spat

A Tasmanian woman is suing a supermarket after it refused entry to Violet, her "therapy alpaca". Abbygail-Nigella Borst said the cloven-hoofed animal helped to keep her calm in public and alerted her whenever she was about to have a panic attack. But the supermarket said it couldn't allow Violet in due to food hygiene concerns. The case is now going to court and could set a precedent for "non-traditional" assistance animals.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Sorcha Bradley, Ross Couzens and Chas Newkey-Burden.

Image credits, from top: Thomas Krych / Pool / AFP / Getty Images; Simone Joyner / Getty Images; Oli Scarff / Getty Images; Runstudio / Getty Images.