Mauritius has declared its unwavering commitment to reclaiming sovereignty over the Chagos Islands following the collapse of an agreement brokered by Keir Starmer to transfer control.
During a conference held in the Indian Ocean nation, Mauritius’s Foreign Minister, Dhananjay Ramful, emphasized the country’s determination. “We will exhaust all diplomatic or legal pathways necessary to achieve full decolonization,” he stated.
He underscored the significance of this pursuit, describing it as “a matter of justice.”
These comments emerged after Starmer was compelled to retract legislation aimed at ceding the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. This reversal occurred after former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew his support for the deal.
The proposed agreement involved transferring sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius while ensuring that the U.S.-UK military base on Diego Garcia remained under a 99-year lease, valued at $47 billion (approximately £35 billion).
Initially, Trump had backed the plan, but his position shifted in January when he cautioned that the move represented “an act of great stupidity.”
The US president had argued that giving away the islands was an act of surrender and warned that the territory could fall into the hands of China, an ally of Mauritius.
But less than a month later, he seemingly backed Starmer’s deal once more, saying it was ‘the best deal he could make’.
This image released by the U.S. Navy shows an aerial view of Diego Garcia in the Chagos Island group
Trump added that the US could ‘militarily secure’ the base if the lease agreement ‘ever falls apart’.
Following his comments, the bill underpinning the deal has been dropped from the King’s Speech next month.
While the government stressed the deal is still the ‘best way to protect the long-term future of the base’, it acknowledged that it could not go ahead without Trump’s backing.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch hailed the government’s move. In a post on X, she said: ‘If Keir Starmer’s Chagos surrender now finds its rightful place – on the ash heap of history – it will be because Conservatives led the fight against it from day one.
‘That it took so long is another damning indictment of a prime minister, who fought to hand over British sovereign territory and pay £35 billion to use a crucial military base which was already ours.
‘Unlike Labour, we will always put our country first. We are the only party who can be trusted to stand up for Britain’s interests abroad.’
Reform’s Robert Jenrick said: ‘If the Chagos surrender is dead, this is a great victory.
‘One day, there should be an inquiry into this shabby saga: the Ministers and officials, under Labour and the Tories, who tried to sell Britain out. Shameful.’
It comes after Keir Starmer was forced to withdraw legislation that would hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after Donald Trump dropped his support
Trump talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House in August
A government spokesperson said: ‘Diego Garcia is a key strategic military asset for both the UK and the US. Ensuring its long-term operational security is and will continue to be our priority – it is the entire reason for the deal.
‘We continue to believe the agreement is the best way to protect the long-term future of the base, but we have always said we would only proceed with the deal if it has US support.
‘We are continuing to engage with the US and Mauritius.’
The Government has stressed the deal is necessary to guarantee the future of the Diego Garcia base after an advisory International Court of Justice ruling in 2019 backed Mauritian claims to sovereignty over the islands.
Warnings have previously been made about how the surrender would expose the islands to environmental damage.
Last year, Labour’s foreign affairs committee chairwoman, Dame Emily Thornberry, said that despite ‘warm words’ from the Mauritian government on the subject of conservation, the ecosystem around Mauritius itself has been substantially ‘degraded’.
The UK government set up the Chagos Marine Protected Area in 2010, with patrols enforcing the no-take zone, and other activities to protect the unique habitats and rich marine biodiversity.
This legal status has always been opposed by Mauritius and was even ruled as illegal by a UN tribunal in 2015, which said it violated Mauritius’ right to fish there.
