UK signs Chagos deal with Mauritius to seal future of US-UK air base
Published: 04:05 PM,May 22,2025 | EDITED : 08:05 PM,May 22,2025
Britain's PM Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference, at a military headquarters in London. — Reuters
LONDON: Britain signed a deal on Thursday to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after a London judge overturned a last-minute injunction and cleared the way for an agreement the government says is vital to protect the nation's security. The multibillion-dollar deal will allow Britain to retain control of the strategically important US-UK air base on Diego Garcia, the largest island of the archipelago in the Indian Ocean, under a 99-year lease.
The signing went ahead after a carefully choreographed ceremony was postponed when lawyers representing a British national born in the Chagos Islands were granted an interim injunction at the High Court in the early hours of Thursday. Judge Martin Chamberlain then lifted that injunction following a hearing, saying Britain's interests would be 'substantially prejudiced' if the injunction were to continue.
The government, which has been criticised by opposition parties for pursuing a deal they say is overly costly and would play into the hands of China, has long said the agreement is essential to secure the future of Diego Garcia. 'The strategic location of this base is of the utmost significance to Britain, from deploying aircraft to defeat terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan to anticipating threats in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific,' Prime Minister Keir Starmer told a news conference. 'By agreeing to this deal now, on our terms, we're securing strong protections, including from malign influence, that will allow the base to operate well into the next century.'
The signing ends months of wrangling over the deal, the details of which were first announced in October, after the then-Mauritian leader Pravind Jugnauth was replaced by Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, who raised concerns about it. It was further delayed after the inauguration of US President Donald Trump in January, with London wanting to give the new administration time to examine the details of the plan. In February, Trump indicated his backing for the deal.
Ramgoolam welcomed the deal, saying it had been a long fight to get to this point. 'With this agreement, we are completing the total process of decolonisation,' Ramgoolam said in a televised broadcast, speaking in the local Creole language. 'It's total recognition of our sovereignty on the Chagos, including Diego Garcia.' US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also welcomed the deal saying it 'secures the long-term, stable and effective operation of the joint US-UK military facility at Diego Garcia'. The injunction was the latest legal challenge to the deal in the last two decades brought by members of the wider Chagossian diaspora, many of whom ended up in Britain after being forcibly removed from the archipelago more than 50 years ago. — Reuters
The signing went ahead after a carefully choreographed ceremony was postponed when lawyers representing a British national born in the Chagos Islands were granted an interim injunction at the High Court in the early hours of Thursday. Judge Martin Chamberlain then lifted that injunction following a hearing, saying Britain's interests would be 'substantially prejudiced' if the injunction were to continue.
The government, which has been criticised by opposition parties for pursuing a deal they say is overly costly and would play into the hands of China, has long said the agreement is essential to secure the future of Diego Garcia. 'The strategic location of this base is of the utmost significance to Britain, from deploying aircraft to defeat terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan to anticipating threats in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific,' Prime Minister Keir Starmer told a news conference. 'By agreeing to this deal now, on our terms, we're securing strong protections, including from malign influence, that will allow the base to operate well into the next century.'
The signing ends months of wrangling over the deal, the details of which were first announced in October, after the then-Mauritian leader Pravind Jugnauth was replaced by Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, who raised concerns about it. It was further delayed after the inauguration of US President Donald Trump in January, with London wanting to give the new administration time to examine the details of the plan. In February, Trump indicated his backing for the deal.
Ramgoolam welcomed the deal, saying it had been a long fight to get to this point. 'With this agreement, we are completing the total process of decolonisation,' Ramgoolam said in a televised broadcast, speaking in the local Creole language. 'It's total recognition of our sovereignty on the Chagos, including Diego Garcia.' US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also welcomed the deal saying it 'secures the long-term, stable and effective operation of the joint US-UK military facility at Diego Garcia'. The injunction was the latest legal challenge to the deal in the last two decades brought by members of the wider Chagossian diaspora, many of whom ended up in Britain after being forcibly removed from the archipelago more than 50 years ago. — Reuters