Starmer’s ‘great friend’ shares £8million prize pot from ‘betrayal’ Chagos deal | Politics | News
Britain to lease back use of Diego Garcia military base (Image: Getty)
A close friend of the Prime Minister profited from the deal in which Britain agreed to give up control of the Chagos Islands. Accordingly Daily MailPhilippe Sands KC, who describes himself as Sir Keir Starmer’s ‘great friend’, shared an £8 million fortune while serving as Mauritius’ general counsel between 2010 and 2024.
During this time, negotiations took place that led to Britain agreeing to return the island, also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, which hosts the Diego Garcia military base. Although Starmer announced the deal, negotiations began under the Conservative government and there are no allegations of impropriety. The new deal saw Britain agree to lease back the military base for 99 years at an average annual cost of £101 million; This decision was criticized by many people on national security grounds.
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Philippe Sands helped negotiate the deal (Image: FilmMagic)
Calling on Labor MPs to block the deal, Graham Stringer said: Daily Mail: “Philippe Sands makes a fortune representing the interests of a foreign country.
“Sands, the Prime Minister and the Attorney General believe that international courts dominated by judges from China are more important than our own democracy.
“The sooner we take back control for the people of this country, the better it will be for the people of this country, rather than in foreign courts where lawyers make millions.”
Philippe Sands KC, a high-profile international human rights lawyer and known for his closeness to Attorney-General Lord Hermer, coordinated the legal teams whose main objective was the transfer of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel had previously accused Sir Keir of betraying Britain.
Dame Priti said: “The Prime Minister is betraying our country, our taxpayers and the Chagossian people with the Chagos Capitulation.”
Government documents in Port Louis show that at least £8.3 million of public funds have been allocated for the litigation campaign.
Although his personal compensation has not been disclosed, legal sources say the lead attorney in such cases will typically receive the largest share, potentially as well as a completion bonus.
Sands previously courted controversy in 2022 when he was photographed raising the Mauritius flag on the islands and later joked about “utterly insulting Britain” during a lecture in Cambridge in 2023.
US President in January Donald Trump He described the deal as “an act of great stupidity” and later walked back his comments following talks with Starmer.
Earlier this month Downing Street insisted the case for the Chagos Islands deal was “very clear”.
“Claims that we negotiated this agreement solely because of the ICJ (International Court of Justice) advisory opinion in 2019 are completely false,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said. “That wasn’t the only challenge we faced.
“If there is no agreement, Mauritius will inevitably reach a legally binding decision that will then be implemented by countries and international organisations.
“And without an agreement, we will face serious, real-world operational impacts on the base.”
The Daily Express approached Philippe Sands for comment.
