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The agreement, signed in May, will transfer ownership of the Indian Ocean islands from Britain to Mauritius, following a long-running international legal battle.
The Chagos Islands are set to be handed to Mauritius by the end of the year after MPs voted for Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to give them away. The Commons voted by 320 to 171 to approve Sir Keir’s Chagos bill on Monday, 20th October, clearing the way for the UK to implement its deal with Mauritius.
The agreement, signed in May, will transfer ownership of the Indian Ocean islands from Britain to Mauritius, following a long-running international legal battle.
The UK will rent back Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands that is home to a British and American military base, at a cost of more than £30bn in cash terms over the next 99 years.
The Government claims that the cost of the agreement will be £101m on average, once the price has been discounted to include inflation and the lower value of payments made later.
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But the deal has been criticized by the Conservative Party and Reform, which have branded it a “surrender” agreement and accused ministers of endangering UK security. The Diego Garcia base has been used for bombing runs into the Middle East and signals intelligence operations.
