CliffNotes
- UK signs deal to hand Chagos Islands to Mauritius
- UK and US will continue operating their joint military base
- The lease of the base on Diego Garcia will cost £101m a year
UK signs deal to hand Chagos Islands to Mauritius
What Happened
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has signed a major agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while leasing back the strategic military base on Diego Garcia for £101 million a year.
Under the deal, the UK and US will continue operating their joint military base on Diego Garcia for an initial 99 years, with an option to extend it by 40 years. In return, Mauritius regains sovereignty over the rest of the archipelago, a long-standing demand that dates back to Mauritius’s independence in 1968.
The UK originally bought the islands for £3 million, but Mauritius has always claimed it was forced to give them up. The islands were cleared for the base, displacing Chagossian communities, many of whom relocated to Mauritius, the Seychelles, or settled in the UK, particularly in Crawley.
Sir Keir defended the agreement, saying it was crucial for national and global security, especially given the risk of foreign powers like China establishing a presence if the UK lost control of the territory.
The deal includes strict conditions:
- A 24-mile buffer zone around Diego Garcia, with no construction allowed without UK consent.
- Mauritius cannot allow any foreign military or civilian access to the outer islands without UK approval.
The agreement comes after the High Court rejected a last-minute legal challenge from two Chagossian women who argued they had been denied a say in the island’s future. The treaty still needs to be ratified by both the UK and Mauritian parliaments.
What Next
The financial cost of the deal will average £101 million per year, totalling a net cost of £3.4 billion, after adjusting for inflation. Critics say the UK is effectively paying to give away territory while allowing Mauritius—a country with close ties to China—a say in operations at a key military site.
Opposition figures, including Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, labelled it “an act of national self-harm”. Former security minister Tom Tugendhat warned that Mauritius will now be consulted on military activity from Diego Garcia, potentially weakening UK and US operational independence.
Chagossian communities are divided. Some celebrated the agreement as a step toward returning to their ancestral home, while others expressed deep concern. They fear being marginalised under Mauritian control and losing the chance to return, especially to Diego Garcia itself, which remains off-limits.