The Prime Minister will require an Act of Parliament to sign over the strategically important Chagos Islands over to Mauritius.
Chagos Archipelago: UK to give up sovereignty of islands
Sir Keir Starmer will face a Parliamentary vote over his decision to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands.
The Prime Minister will require an Act of Parliament to sign over the strategically important islands to Mauritius.
The Chagos Islands are home to the Diego Garcia military base, which is leased by the UK to the United States to support military operations in the Middle East.
Fears are intensifying Chinese intelligence agencies could exploit Beijing’s relationship with the Mauritians to use the surrounding islands to monitor the base and British and American assets.
Or they could even build their own military bases, ministers have been warned.
Keir Starmer to face Commons vote over the Chagos Islands (Image: Getty)
The US has a key military base on Diego Garcia (Image: Getty)
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage will on Monday demand an urgent question in Parliament, forcing ministers to address concerns about the “appalling” decision.
Mr Farage wrote to David Lammy on Saturday to demand that a vote take place “at the earliest opportunity”, saying the way that the decision had been made meant MPs “from all parties remain in the dark about so many aspects of this decision”.
Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick wrote in The Telegraph: “Labour’s decision places their ideology ahead of Britain’s national interests. It’s an act of extraordinary national self-harm.
“And they’ve snuck out their betrayal while Parliament isn’t sitting, to avoid scrutiny.”
Mark Francois, the former Armed Forces minister, added: “It’s appalling how Labour have deliberately announced their abject surrender over the Chagos Islands during a Parliamentary recess.”
He added: “This is even more pressing, before Argentina ups its rhetoric over the Falklands or Spain does over Gibraltar – we now need both of those other claims categorically refuted, on the floor of the House, early next week.”
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A Government minister on Saturday was forced to issue a statement on the territories after the Prime Minister on Friday did not rule out signing them away.
Stephen Doughty, the minister for UK Overseas Territories, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “British sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar or any other of our overseas territories is not up for negotiation.
“The Chagos Islands are a very different issue, with a very different history.”
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, also expressed outrage at the decision, with the party planning to table an urgent question in the Commons on Monday.
