A formidable cross-party alliance of senior figures has rounded on Sir Keir Starmer, demanding he tear up a contentious £9 billion arrangement that would surrender British sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Former Prime Minister Liz Truss, Nigel Farage, Suella Braverman, Ben Habib and Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg are among those leading the charge.
Their intervention came in a sharply worded open letter, signed by prominent Conservative and Reform UK figures alike. The group cautions that pushing the deal through before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in could imperil national security, place fresh strain on the 'special relationship' with Washington, and leave British taxpayers carrying an indefensible bill.
A deal forced through at the eleventh hour
Under the reported terms, Britain would relinquish sovereignty of the islands, home to the strategically indispensable Diego Garcia military base, while paying for a 99-year lease to keep operational control. Mauritius said yesterday that both governments had reached agreement, with a special council of ministers expected to sign it off this week.
Those close to the negotiations indicate that Starmer wants the pact sealed before Trump returns to the White House on Monday, a timeline widely read as a calculated effort to avoid a confrontation with the president-elect, who is said to be firmly against the arrangement.
What the letter says
Writing to the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary David Lammy, the signatories took aim at the speed and secrecy of the talks. They warned:
“This decision, if completed in haste, would undermine our national interest, jeopardise our strategic alliances, and create unnecessary economic and security risks.”
The list of signatories also features former Labour MP Baroness Hoey, Sir John Redwood, Lord Dan Hannan and Richard Tice. They underlined Diego Garcia's role as a foundation of UK-US defence strategy across the Indo-Pacific, warning against pushing away Britain's closest ally and handing encouragement to rivals such as China, whose regional footprint has grown.
Branding the £9 billion price tag “economically indefensible”, the letter condemned the want of openness around the deal:
“At a time when public finances are under severe pressure… committing billions to lease back a base we already control is economically indefensible.”
The group further denounced the failure to consult either Parliament or the Chagossian people, who were forced from their homeland when the military base was first established.
Farage and Patel sound the alarm
Nigel Farage, a close ally of Donald Trump, dismissed the agreement as a “disaster waiting to happen” and forecast “outright hostility” from the incoming US administration.
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel struck a similar note, charging Starmer with damaging Britain's national interest. She said:
“The surrender of our sovereignty over Chagos not only leaves us exposed to greater security threats, but it is economically illiterate… Labour ministers must urgently come clean on what exactly this surrender is going to cost us.”
Washington's unease
The plan has set off alarm bells in Washington, where Trump and his advisers reportedly worry it could undercut American security interests in the Indian Ocean. There is concern, too, that it could inadvertently bolster China's hand in the region, given Mauritius's close trading relationship with Beijing.
Downing Street is understood to have proposed paying a sizeable share of the £9 billion up front to lock the deal in before Monday's deadline, though the financial small print is still murky.
A demand for transparency
The signatories have pressed the Prime Minister to suspend the talks and instead make room for a full parliamentary debate, fuller consultation with the Chagossian people, and coordination with US allies, so that the arrangement does not erode Britain's security or its finances. The letter closed:
“To force this deal through in a matter of days, driven by political expediency, would be reckless and short-sighted. It would undermine trust in the UK government and leave an indelible stain on Britain’s reputation as a defender of sovereignty, accountability, and strategic foresight.”
Why it matters
Britain has held the Chagos Islands since the 1960s, with Diego Garcia operating as a vital joint UK-US military base. It has underpinned operations across the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific, and its strategic value has only risen in recent years.
Should the deal go ahead, it would close the book on British sovereignty over the islands while still leaving the UK to foot a hefty bill to lease back the very control it currently holds.
With Trump's return to the Oval Office now days away, the fate of the agreement hangs in the balance. Its critics continue to press Starmer to weigh the lasting fallout of a hurried decision and to ensure any deal genuinely serves Britain and its allies.
Main Photo: Photos licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Files from Wikimedia Commons.