Chagos Islands handover deal’s future unclear after Trump’s intervention
The future of legislation aimed at transferring the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has been thrown into doubt following comments by the Minister of Defence.
Dan Jarvis said the Government was “looking at the details very closely” when asked about plans to cede sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) while retaining control of a military base in Diego Garcia.
Mr Jarvis did not deny that funds previously allocated to Mauritius for the lease back of the base could now be diverted to defense spending, calling it a “fair question”.
This contrasts with Downing Street’s previous statements insisting that transferring sovereignty to Mauritius was “the best way to protect a vital military base” in Diego Garcia.
An agreement was signed between the UK and Mauritius in May last year and the bill concluding London’s control over the islands has been debated in both Houses of Parliament since then.
However, the final draft of the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill was stalled in the last parliamentary session, reportedly due to objections from United States president Donald Trump.
Speaking to defense questions in the House of Commons on Monday, Tory MP Dr. Luke Evans says clarity is needed on Chagos deal.
He said: “Can (the Defense Minister) confirm that this has been canceled and the billions of dollars that were going to Mauritius have now been diverted to defense spending?”
In response, Mr Jarvis said: “That’s a fair question.
“I’m looking at the details very closely and will discuss this with our American allies.”
Under the terms of the agreement reached last year, Britain will hand over sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius but lease back the Diego Garcia base for 99 years.
The agreement also stipulates that the UK will pay Mauritius an average of £101 million a year during this period, or approximately £3.4 billion according to official figures.
But opponents of the deal said the real cost could be around £35bn when adjusted for inflation, putting the base at risk and opening the door for China to establish a presence in the archipelago.
Although the agreement has been signed by both the UK and Mauritius, it has not yet been ratified and no payments have been made.
