Dear Constituent,
Thank you for contacting me about the UK Government’s Chagos deal.
The Government has struck a deal with Mauritius to surrender the British Indian Ocean Territory, while also paying for the privilege. This disgraceful deal ends 200 years of British sovereignty over a vital territory for our country’s security and national interests, for no good reason. Labour’s deal is a failure of diplomacy and statecraft.
At the end of January, the Government’s Chagos Surrender Bill was supposed to go through the House of Lords. Instead, the Government suffered a humiliating defeat by my Conservative colleagues in the Lords and was forced to withdraw its bill. The Government has rushed this Chagos Surrender Bill while overlooking the US-UK 1966 treaty, which states that the British Indian Ocean Territory shall remain under the United Kingdom's sovereignty. This Government defeat was down to the parliamentary knowledge and skills of my Conservative colleagues, who pointed out not only that the Government’s agreement with Mauritius last summer could breach international law, but also that to change the law, they would need to get the US to agree to doing so. You can read Lord Callahan’s letter to the Government pointing this out here. I, and my Conservatives in HM Official Opposition, will continue to fight to completely kill this awful Bill.
As you say, not only does the deal exile Chagossians from their islands, but it also surrenders part of Britain’s sovereign territory, weakens our national security, and imposes a staggering financial burden on British taxpayers. Under this agreement, the UK has handed the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, despite Mauritius never having held sovereignty over the territory. In exchange, Britain is paying £101 million a year for the next 99 years to lease back access to our own strategic military base at Diego Garcia. Estimates suggest this could cost the UK £10 billion or more over the lifetime of the agreement, with some projections far higher once inflation is considered.
Crucially, the Chagossian community, many of whom are British citizens, were not properly consulted, despite being directly affected. Most oppose the transfer. These are people who were already forced from their homes in the 1960s and 70s. To now see their ancestral homeland handed to a foreign government without their consent is an unacceptable injustice.
The Government’s deal is a risk to Britain’s defence and security. China has said that it wants to deepen its strategic partnership with Mauritius and that Mauritius is well placed with its ‘strategic advantages’. Meanwhile, Mauritius has proudly announced that it is advancing cooperation with Russia in agriculture, research, irrigation and fisheries.
My colleagues in HM Opposition and I will continue to oppose this deal. As stated by the Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch, the surrender of the Chagos Islands is an act of complete self-sabotage.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Yours sincerely,
