Mark Andrews: Mad Lizzie's verdict on Tory hopefuls, the betrayal of Chagos, and why VAR should be handed over to the European court of justice

That's one in the eye for all those naysayers who said the European Court meddled too much in things that didn't concern it.

Maybe future VAR decisions should be delegated to the European Court of Justice. It couldn't do much worse.

What this means for the future of the game is anybody's guess, but I wouldn't bet against some sort of loophole being found. People might shrug their shoulders when they're told to use grammes rather than ounces at the greengrocers, but they won't be so placid if their football club is thrown into chaos.

* * *

Tory conference this week, and a chance to hear from the four candidates hoping to be next party leader. Ok, calm down you at the back.

Distinctly underwhelmed is the towering figure of 49-day prime minister Liz Truss, who refuses to endorse any of them. Which I'm sure will give them all a few sleepless nights.

I imagine any endorsement by Miss Truss would be met with a similar reaction to that of George Bush Snr, when he won the dubious backing of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 1988: "I could have done without it. I'm going to ask him to reconsider.''

* * *

Liz accused the leadership contenders of being in a state of denial.

"So far, I haven't seen any of the candidates really acknowledge how bad things are in the country, and frankly, for the Conservative Party," she says.

Oh, I think they do, Liz. And I think they have a a pretty good idea of who caused it, as well.

* * *

With breathtaking chutzpah, Miss Truss adds: "They think 'all we need to do is show competence and we will be ushered back into office'."

Yes, Liz, competence. Very over-rated.

* * *

Well, that's the future of Diego Garcia sorted.

My initial thought, on hearing that, was "What position does he play?"

But the UK Government's decision to hand sovereignty of the remote Chagos Islands to Mauritius raises some serious constitutional questions.

No doubt Sir Keir Starmer and David Lammy thought they were being jolly generous in handing the islands over, after 200 years of British rule. What a nice gesture to show that 21st century Britain is no longer the colonial oppressor, and all that.

But there is one group of people that appear to have been forgotten in all of this. The islanders.

No referendum, no meaningful consultation, just a few rounds of negotiations between the governments of the UK and Mauritius.

If I were a native of Gibraltar or the Falkland Islands, I think I would be getting a bit nervous.

After all, how can the British Government honour the right of self-determination for people living in Gib or Port Stanley, when it rides roughshod over the wishes of British subjects in the Indian Ocean?

Besides, doesn't the idea of overseas governments negotiating sovereignty of people who get no say in the matter seem a bit, well, colonial?