Keir Starmer has given up the Chagos Islands, handing the Indian Ocean territory to China-ally Mauritius after 200 years of British rule. The BBC has more.
The U.K. has announced it is giving up sovereignty of a remote but strategically important cluster of islands in the Indian Ocean after more than half a century.
The deal – reached after years of negotiations – will see the U.K. hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in an historic move.
This includes the tropical atoll of Diego Garcia, used by the U.S. Government as a military base for its navy ships and long-range bomber aircraft.
The announcement, made in a joint statement by the U.K. and Mauritian Prime Ministers, ends decades of often fractious negotiations between the two countries.
The U.S.-U.K. base will remain on Diego Garcia – a key factor enabling the deal to go forward at a time of growing geopolitical rivalries in the region between Western countries, India, and China.
The deal is still subject to finalisation of a treaty, but both sides have promised to complete it as quickly as possible.
“This is a seminal moment in our relationship and a demonstration of our enduring commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes and the rule of law,” the statement from U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth read.
The leaders also said they were committed “to ensure the long-term, secure and effective operation of the existing base on Diego Garcia which plays a vital role in regional and global security”.
The treaty will also “address wrongs of the past and demonstrate the commitment of both parties to support the welfare of Chagossians”.
The U.K. will provide a package of financial support to Mauritius, including annual payments and infrastructure investment.
Mauritius will also be able to begin a programme of resettlement on the Chagos Islands, but not on Diego Garcia.
There, the U.K. will ensure operation of the military base for “an initial period” of 99 years.
U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed the “historic agreement”, saying it was a “clear demonstration that through diplomacy and partnership, countries can overcome long-standing historical challenges to reach peaceful and mutually beneficial outcomes”.
He said it secured the future of a key military base which “plays a vital role in national, regional, and global security.”
But Frankie Bontemps, a second generation Chagossian in the U.K., told the BBC that he felt “betrayed” and “angry” at the news because “Chagossians have never been involved” in the negotiations.
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: Guido reports that Keir Starmer’s “close friend Philippe Sands KC is Mauritus’s Chief Legal Adviser and a longtime agitator for Mauritian control of the islands”.
Guido also mocks Conservative leadership contender James Cleverly for criticising the handover, as it was his idea in the first place when Foreign Secretary. A Foreign Office source “closely familiar with negotiations under the Tories” tells Guido:
Surrendering sovereignty of the Chagos Islands was a policy that James himself came up with as Foreign Secretary. He decided that they should go to Mauritius. He opened negotiations. And he ignored voices from the White House and our own Government when they warned that it would be a serious threat to U.K. security interests. The only reason that this didn’t happen on his watch is because David Cameron put a stop to it. For him to now criticise Labour for weakness is laughable.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.