UK announces historic agreement that will see sovereignty of the Chagos Islands handed to Mauritius

The historic deal aims to "right the wrongs of the past", as ITV News Correspondent Peter Smith reports

The UK government has announced it has agreed a deal with Mauritius to settle historic sovereignty claims in a remote but strategically important cluster of islands in the Indian Ocean.

The deal – reached after years of negotiations - will see the UK hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a historic move.

The agreement includes the largest island in the archipelago, Diego Garcia, which is currently used as a joint military base by the UK and the United States, and will remain so as part of the deal.

The government said that for the first time in more than 50 years, the status of the base will be undisputed and legally secure, following a political agreement between the UK and Mauritius.

A statement from UK PM Keir Starmer and Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth said: "Following two years of negotiation, this is a seminal moment in our relationship and a demonstration of our enduring commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes and the rule of law."

"Under the terms of this treaty the United Kingdom will agree that Mauritius is sovereign over the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia," it added.

"At the same time, both our countries are committed to the need, and will agree in the treaty, to ensure the long-term, secure and effective operation of the existing base on Diego Garcia which plays a vital role in regional and global security."

The Foreign Office said the agreement is supported by the US.

US President Joe Biden applauded the announcement, saying the agreement “secures the effective operation” of the Diego Garcia military base, which he said "plays a vital role in national, regional, and global security."

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “Today’s agreement secures this vital military base for the future. It will strengthen our role in safeguarding global security, shut down any possibility of the Indian Ocean being used as a dangerous illegal migration route to the UK, as well as guaranteeing our long-term relationship with Mauritius, a close Commonwealth partner.”

The government added that Mauritius will be taking responsibility for any future arrivals and it will now be able to bring in a programme of resettlement on the Chagos Islands - excepting the military base island of Diego Garcia.

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The announcement, however, drew some criticism from within the Conservative Party.

Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick was scathing about the British Indian Ocean Territory deal.“It’s taken three months for (Sir Keir) Starmer to surrender Britain’s strategic interests,” he said. “This is a dangerous capitulation that will hand our territory to an ally of Beijing.”

Former foreign secretary James Cleverly, also criticised the decision, saying: “Weak, weak, weak! Labour lied to get into office. Said they’d be whiter than white, said they wouldn’t put up taxes, said they’d stand up to the EU, said that they be patriotic. All lies!”

Last month, former prime minister Boris Johnson, raised concerns about the move which was then under negotiation. He described any handover as “utterly spineless” and said the UK looked to be “on the verge of a colossal mistake” that could "play into China's hands", calling Mauritius’s claim to the islands “preposterous”. The Foreign Office rejected those fears.

Mauritius, which gained independence in 1968, maintains the islands are its own and Chagossians have also brought cases in British courts for the right to return.

Chagossians have spent decades fighting to return to the islands after more than 1,000 people were forced to leave in the 1960s and 1970s to make way for the military base.

The expulsions are regarded as one of the most shameful parts of Britain’s modern colonial history.

Thousands of Chagossians now live around the world, mostly in Mauritius, the UK and the Seychelles.

The United Nations’ highest court, the International Court of Justice, previously ruled the UK’s administration of the territory was “unlawful” and must end.

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