The UK has signed a long-awaited deal to hand control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed.
It means Britain will give up sovereignty of the Indian Ocean territory and lease back the vital UK-US Diego Garcia military base – at a cost of £101m a year.
Politics Live: Starmer signs deal to hand over UK control of Chagos Islands to Mauritius
In a news conference, the prime minister said the base is of the “utmost significance to Britain”, having been used to deploy aircraft to “defeat terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan”, and “anticipate threats in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific”.
He said the base was under threat because of Mauritius’s legal claim on the Chagos Islands, which has been recognised by multiple international courts.
“If we did not agree this deal, the legal situation would mean that we would not be able to prevent China or any other nation setting up their own bases on the outer islands, or carrying out joint exercises near our base,” Sir Keir said.
“We would have to explain to you, the British people and to our allies, that we’d lost control of this vital asset.
Aerial view of Diego Garcia in the Chagos Island group. Pic: AP
“No responsible government could let that happen, so there’s no alternative but to act in Britain’s national interest by agreeing to this deal.”
“We will never gamble with national security,” he added.
The deal means the UK will lease the base from the Mauritian government over 99 years. Although the annual cost is £101m, the net cost overall is £3.4bn, not £10bn, the government said.
Sir Keir said that is less than the yearly cost of running an aircraft carrier, and also less than what the US is paying for the running costs of the base.
Had he not stuck the deal today, Mauritius would have taken the UK to international courts and probably won – with extra penalties implemented, the prime minister added.
Keir Starmer
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch criticised the deal, saying that “surrendering” the Chagos Islands to Mauritius “is an act of national self-harm”.
“It leaves us more exposed to China, and ignores the will of the Chagossian people. And we’re paying billions to do so”, she said.
The criticism chimes with what many Conservatives said when news of the deal first emerged in October, including senior figures of the last government such as former foreign secretary James Cleverly.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage accused Sir Keir of caring more about foreign courts “than Britain’s national interest”.
‘Deal inherited from Tories’
However Sir Keir said he “inherited a negotiation in which the principle of giving up UK sovereignty had already been conceded” by the Tories.
He said “all of the UK’s allies” support the deal, including the US, NATO, Five Eyes and India, and that those who are against it include “Russia, China, Iran…and surprisingly, the leader of the opposition, Nigel Farage”.
Defence Secretary John Healey, who was also at the news conference, added that the last government failed to strike a deal despite 11 rounds of talks, leaving Labour to “pick up the challenge”.
He said ministers “toughened the terms and the protections and the control that Britain can exercise through this treaty”.
Under the deal’s terms, a 24-nautical mile buffer zone will be put in place around the island where nothing can be built or placed without UK consent.
The UK will retain full operational control of Diego Garcia, including the electromagnetic spectrum satellite used for communications which counters hostile interference.
Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, said he welcomed the “historic agreement”, saying it “secures the long-term, stable and effective operation of the joint US-UK military facility at Diego Garcia, which is critical to regional and global security”.
“We value both parties’ dedication. The US looks forward to our continued joint work to ensure the success of our shared operations,” he said.
The agreement had been due to be signed on Thursday morning but was temporarily blocked by an injunction hours before. A High Court Judge subsequently discharged the injunction at midday.
