Chagos Islands deal: UK denies it faces paying billions extra to Mauritus

The UK authorities has denied claims made by the prime minister of Mauritius that it faces paying billions extra below a renegotiated deal over the way forward for the Chagos Islands.
Final October, the UK introduced it will hand over sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius however would keep a 99-year lease over the UK-US navy airbase on the most important island, Diego Garcia.
Nonetheless, shortly after the deal was struck, Mauritius elected a brand new prime minister, Navin Ramgoolam, who wished to reopen negotiations. He instructed his MPs on Tuesday new circumstances had been negotiated which means the UK’s lease funds could be linked to inflation and frontloaded.
However the UK Overseas Workplace mentioned the figures being quoted have been “inaccurate and deceptive”.
“The UK will solely signal a deal that’s in our nationwide curiosity,” a spokesperson mentioned.
The Occasions steered that the funds by the UK authorities to Mauritius may successfully double from £9bn to £18bn, however this been denied by the UK Overseas Workplace.
Nonetheless some senior figures in authorities are against the deal, describing it as “horrible”, “mad” and “unimaginable to know”.
“At a time when there isn’t any cash, how can we spend billions of kilos to present one thing away?”, one senior authorities supply mentioned.
The Mauritian PM had mentioned he was “assured” the brand new deal could be authorized, saying UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had mentioned he meant to “push forward” with the renegotiated deal.
Talking to Mauritian MPs on Tuesday, Ramgoolam railed in opposition to the previous settlement, which he mentioned was a “sell-out” for Mauritius.
“We’ve got to be inflation-proof. What is the level of getting cash after which having half of it by the tip? That is what would occur, we now have made the calculations,” he mentioned.
Nonetheless, he didn’t reveal the precise quantity the UK would pay, saying: “I am not ready to present particulars however let me say one thing, that package deal was very badly negotiated.”
Ramgoolam mentioned the earlier package deal had additionally been tweaked so the UK would pay extra in “front-loading” at first of the deal. “That is also being authorized I believe,” the Mauritian chief added.
Ramgoolam added that the UK would now not be capable to unilaterally act on a clause within the deal the place the lease could possibly be prolonged for 40 years.
This was additionally denied by the UK authorities, with the Overseas Workplace spokesperson saying: “There was no change to the phrases of extension within the treaty.”
Shadow overseas secretary Dame Priti Patel urged the UK authorities to desert the deal, saying there had been “little or no transparency”.
She instructed BBC Radio 4’s As we speak programme: “We hold listening to from the federal government that that is some sort of whole lot – if it is such a great deal, why are they not being sincere about what the small print are?
“The federal government of Mauritius and the folks of Mauritius appear to know extra about this deal than the British public, the British taxpayer and even folks in our personal parliament.”
Progress on the deal had been paused whereas the UK consulted new US President Donald Trump on the deal.
There had been efforts to get the treaty signed earlier than Trump’s inauguration on 20 January. Nonetheless, the UK modified course, saying it was “completely affordable for the US administration to contemplate the element” of any settlement.
On Tuesday, Downing Avenue reiterated it was “completely proper” for the US to contemplate the deal.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had beforehand raised issues, saying the deal posed a risk to US safety, given China’s affect within the area. Mauritius has an financial relationship with China.
Dame Priti mentioned Sir Keir had “the audacity to inform the British folks they may foot the invoice and pay for the indignity of his give up of the Chagos Islands, as he isolates the brand new US administration by bending the knee to Mauritius and emboldening our enemies along with his disastrous give up deal”.
Tory chief Kemi Badenoch mentioned the prime minister ought to “come to Parliament and be sincere with MPs” about what she referred to as a “silly deal”.
Reform UK chief Nigel Farage additionally voiced opposition to the deal, saying if the UK ceded sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, “our price to America” would grow to be “significantly decreased”.
The UK took management of the Chagos Islands, or British Indian Ocean Territory, from its then colony, Mauritius, in 1965 and went on to evict its inhabitants of greater than 1,000 folks to make approach for the Diego Garcia base.
Mauritius, which gained independence from the UK in 1968, has maintained the islands are its personal, and the UN’s highest courtroom has dominated, in an advisory opinion, that the UK’s administration of the territory is “illegal”.
The Chagos islanders – some in Mauritius and the Seychelles, however others residing within the UK – don’t communicate with one voice on the destiny of their homeland.
Some have criticised the deal, saying they weren’t consulted within the negotiations.