UK Minister Affirms Chagos Islands Agreement Progress

The UK government has maintained that Mauritius is prepared to finalize an agreement regarding the future of the Chagos Islands, despite the new Mauritian Prime Minister’s demand for improved conditions. The proposed arrangement, announced in October, stipulates that the UK would transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius, while retaining a 99-year lease for the UK-US military airbase situated on Diego Garcia, the largest island. Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel informed Members of Parliament that this represented a “monumental failure of statecraft,” and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage indicated “very deep disquiet” about the matter among the incoming team of US President-elect Donald Trump. Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty contended that the deal served the interests of all parties involved. On Tuesday, Mauritius announced it had proposed modifications to the initial agreement, which was reached shortly before then-Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth experienced a significant defeat in a general election. His successor, Navin Ramgoolam, conveyed to the Mauritian parliament that he was “still willing to conclude an agreement,” but found the draft deal unsatisfactory for his nation. He did not specify the nature of the changes he was seeking. In the House of Commons, Conservative Dame Priti accused the Labour government of jeopardizing the UK’s national security, disregarding the welfare of Chagossians, and “letting our standing go into freefall” in an increasingly perilous global environment. She questioned, “If the deal is so good, why has the government been so secretive about the details?” She further inquired, “Will we and the US still have full autonomy of operation? What safeguards will be in place to stop other countries, including China, from potentially trying to establish themselves on the base or near the military base on Diego Garcia? “How much is the British taxpayer going to be liable for each year, and in total, over 99 years?” Doughty asserted that the agreement would bolster, rather than undermine, UK security, stating it would safeguard the military base’s operations and ensure its “on a safe footing well into the next century.” He affirmed that the UK would possess the option to extend its lease beyond 99 years, that Britain and its allies would maintain operational autonomy, and that “safeguards” were in place to prevent the forces of other nations from operating on the archipelago’s outer islands. He added that it was “not normal practice” to disclose the costs associated with military bases. Doughty informed MPs that it was “completely understandable” for the new Mauritian government to require time to review the agreement’s specifics, expressing confidence that “we have agreed a good and fair deal that is in both sides’ interests.” He elaborated, “It protects the base at proportionate cost. It has been supported across the national security architecture in the United States and by India.” However, Farage, having recently returned from discussions with Elon Musk and other allies of the president-elect at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, disputed this. He told MPs, “There is very deep disquiet amongst all of them as to what this may mean for the long-term future of Diego Garcia and whether such deal would hold, given the precedent of the deal break over Hong Kong.” The Reform UK leader also put forward the idea that the terms of the agreement should be subjected to a referendum involving exiled Chagossians. Last month, Farage had predicted that the Trump administration, set to assume office on 20 January, would greet the deal with “outright hostility.” He suggested that Trump’s advisers were concerned it could enhance China’s influence in the region. Nevertheless, on Wednesday, Doughty stated that Farage was not privy to the agreement’s details, which US officials had also examined. No 10 indicated it had no knowledge of any communication with the incoming Trump administration concerning the Chagos Islands deal. The prime minister’s official spokesman commented, “The focus of our discussions at the moment are obviously with the new Mauritian government.” In recent years, the UK has encountered increasing diplomatic isolation concerning the islands, with various United Nations bodies—including the International Court of Justice and the General Assembly—predominantly supporting Mauritius’s claim to sovereignty. Mauritius has consistently argued that it was unlawfully compelled to relinquish the islands in exchange for its independence from the UK in 1968. At that time, the British government had already concluded a secret arrangement with the US, agreeing to lease Diego Garcia for use as a military installation. The UK subsequently issued an apology for the forced removal of over 1,000 islanders from the entire archipelago and pledged to transfer the islands to Mauritius once they were no longer required for strategic purposes.