Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of signing ‘one of the worst deals in the history of deals’ by surrendering the Chagos islands for as much as £30 billion.
The Prime Minister claimed the controversial giveaway of Britain’s territory in the Indian Ocean would cost only £3.4 billion over the next century and was necessary to secure a vital Anglo-American military base there.
But opponents said the true cost was ten times as much and insisted there was no need to cede sovereignty over the islands to Mauritius, an ally of China.
Sir Keir also faced fury for making the ‘disgusting slur’ that opponents of the handover – who include the exiled islanders – were on the same side as Russia, China and Iran.
Details of the long-awaited treaty, published after a dramatic 11th-hour legal challenge, also revealed that it spoke of the need to ‘complete the process of decolonisation’ and will hand Mauritius more than £1 billion for ‘economic development’.
And Labour ministers were challenged to justify making the huge payments at the same time as cutting benefits for Britons.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: ‘I make no apology for opposing this disgraceful Chagos sell-out.’
She said it would mean ‘at least £30 billion of taxpayers’ money thrown away in a Surrender Tax, British territory handed over to a country aligned with China’ and ‘our national security needlessly weakened’ just to ‘appease the lawyers and activist elite Keir Starmer surrounds himself with’.
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of signing ‘one of the worst deals in the history of deals’ by surrendering the Chagos islands for as much as £30billion
The PM claimed the controversial giveaway of Britain’s territory in the Indian Ocean would cost only £3.4billion over the next century and was necessary to secure a vital Anglo-American military base there
A Tory Party spokesman added: ‘Keir Starmer just signed one of the worst deals in the history of deals.’
Reform leader Nigel Farage said: ‘The Prime Minister cares more about obscure foreign courts than the British national interest. Giving Chagos to Mauritius was not necessary and plays into China’s hands.’
The Chagos Islands have been British territory since 1814 but thousands of Chagossians were deported, most to Mauritius, when a US military base was built on Diego Garcia, the largest atoll, in the 1960s.
In 2019 the International Court of Justice ruled that the UK’s occupation of the archipelago was unlawful, prompting the previous Tory government to begin negotiations on a deal – but they later blocked progress. Labour restarted talks after the 2024 election and an agreement was struck this year.
The deal was finally signed yesterday, despite the efforts of two Chagossian women, Bertrice Pompe and Bernadette Dugasse, who obtained an emergency injunction in the middle of the night to halt the process, arguing Chagossians had not been consulted.
Now the deal must be ratified by both houses of Parliament.
Paid for out the Ministry of Defence and Foreign Office budgets, it will cost taxpayers £165 million in each of the first three years, followed by £120 million for the next decade after which payments will be indexed to inflation.
In addition, the UK will make a £40 million one-off payment to set up a trust fund for Chagossians, with the treaty stating that the parties were ‘conscious that past treatment of Chagossians has left a deeply regrettable legacy’.
But opponents say the true cost is ten times as much and insist there was no need to cede sovereignty over the islands to Mauritius, an ally of China
Bertice Pompe (left) and Bernadette Dugasse (centre), two British women born on the Chagos Islands, pictured protesting outside the High Court against the decision
The Chagos Islands have been British territory since 1814 but thousands of Chagossians were deported, mostly to Mauritius, when a US military base was built on Diego Garcia, the largest atoll, in the 1960s
And there will be a grant of £45 milion for 25 years to be ‘invested by Mauritius in projects that promote the ongoing economic development and welfare of Mauritius and its people’. The treaty said the two governments were ‘mindful of the need to complete the process of decolonisation of Mauritius’.
Yet the Government claimed the average cost over the 99 years of the deal was just £101million annually and the total amounted to only £3.4 billion. The Tories said the ‘surrender tax’, assuming inflation of two per cent, actually amounted to £30 billion.
Announcing the deal at UK military headquarters in Northwood, London, Sir Keir said: ‘The average £100 million per year is about the same, or slightly less than, the running cost of an aircraft carrier, minus the aircraft. Now, given the significance of this facility, both the geography and the capability, you can see that as, again, measured against an aircraft carrier running costs that this is very good value for money.’
Asked how the Government could justify the cost, given it says it does not have the money to ensure all pensioners get the winter fuel allowance, Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty said: ‘The capability of this base is priceless. It’s crucial for protecting the safety and security of British citizens here at home and abroad, and the military activities of ourselves and our allies in protecting our Armed Forces globally.’
