UK hands over remote Indian Ocean islands after decades-long battle

In a historical move, Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that a woody had been reached to manus implicit the Chagos Islands to Mauritius aft decades of fraught negotiations

The UK volition springiness up sovereignty implicit a distant acceptable of islands successful the Indian Ocean aft decades of fraught negotiations.

In a historical move, Keir Starmer confirmed that a woody had been reached to manus implicit the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The territory includes the tropical atoll of Diego Garcia, which houses a strategically important UK-US subject basal astatine a clip of rivalries betwixt Western countries and China.

The Foreign Office said the presumption of the basal volition beryllium undisputed and legally unafraid pursuing the pact. Negotiations person been moving for years, with 11 rounds of talks nether the erstwhile Government and 2 nether the caller Labour administration.

Mr Starmer spoke to Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth this greeting to corroborate the deal, Downing Street said. A readout of the telephone said: "The leaders began by welcoming the governmental statement achieved contiguous betwixt the UK and Mauritius connected the workout of sovereignty implicit the Chagos Archipelago aft 2 years of negotiations.

“The Prime Minister reiterated the value of reaching this woody to support the continued cognition of the UK/US subject basal connected Diego Garcia. He underscored his steadfast work to nationalist and planetary information which underpinned the governmental statement reached today.

The Government besides sees the determination arsenic a mode to artifact a unsafe way for radical trying to travel to the UK. A tiny fig of migrants person launched asylum claims since 2021 aft making the treacherous travel to Diego Garcia.

Mr Lammy said: “This authorities inherited a concern wherever the long-term, unafraid cognition of the Diego Garcia subject basal was nether threat, with contested sovereignty and ongoing ineligible challenges. Today’s statement secures this captious subject basal for the future.

"It volition fortify our relation successful safeguarding planetary security, unopen down immoderate anticipation of the Indian Ocean being utilized arsenic a unsafe amerciable migration way to the UK, arsenic good arsenic guaranteeing our semipermanent narration with Mauritius, a adjacent Commonwealth partner.”

US President Joe Biden said the statement "secures the effectual operation" of the Diego Garcia subject base.

He said: "I applaud the historical statement and decision of the negotiations betwixt the Republic of Mauritius and the United Kingdom connected the presumption of the Chagos Archipelago. It is simply a wide objection that done diplomacy and partnership, countries tin flooded long-standing humanities challenges to scope peaceful and mutually beneficial outcomes."

However the woody provoked fury from successful Tory circles. Tory enactment hopeful Robert Jenrick said: "It's taken 3 months for Starmer to surrender Britain's strategical interests. This is simply a unsafe capitulation that volition manus our territory to an state of Beijing."

Former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who is besides moving to beryllium Tory leader, said: "Weak, weak, weak! Labour lied to get into office. Said they'd beryllium whiter than white, said they wouldn't enactment up taxes, said they'd basal up to the EU, said that they beryllium patriotic. All lies!"

Fellow Tory enactment campaigner Tom Tugendhat said: "This is simply a shameful retreat undermining our information and leaving our allies exposed." He said the Foreign Office had "negotiated against Britain's interest" and it was "disgraceful that these negotiations started nether our watch".