Ben Harnwell

They are Spanish-American operated bases.

So then the NATO dynamic is really a foreign excuse here.

Obviously, Spain is a NATO ally, but it's not a formal NATO base.

Like, for example, you have a formal NATO base in Naples in Italy.

Not an operational base.

It's a headquarters.

The actual, again...

American Italian-run base is the one in Sigonella in Sicily.

That's the one that the Italians said no to.

While the plane was mid-flight, they said, no, no, you can't land here.

You haven't given us the notice to say that you're coming in because we need to discuss this in Parliament.

Well, you know, whenever she does describe herself as being a bridge between the United States and the European Union, immediately it always comes to my mind, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, folks, if you ever remember that undulating bridge that eventually is the second largest suspension bridge ever built in the world, which collapsed within a couple of weeks after opening.

And that is the bridge to nowhere, which is Georgia Maloney.

So she said no.

Formerly it was via the defence minister.

on the basis that Italy hadn't been consulted before the flights – we're talking more than one US bomber here – before they took off, and therefore Italy said no, and Italy cited its treaties with the United States.

And in as far as it goes, there is – I have no time for this government or its prime minister –

But there is a legitimate question to be asked, considering the same thing happened with regards to Spain on the same excuses, why the Department for War hadn't put in the phone calls, the US Department for War hadn't put in those necessary phone calls beforehand.

That is a legitimate question to ask.

But beyond that, because it is simply a procedural excuse on Italy's part, and you can guess that it was simply a procedural excuse