Fury As Starmer Hands British-Owned Chagos Islands To Mauritius — As Ally Of China Strikes Deal With India To Build ‘Satellite Tracking Base’ Near Military Base.
Britain is facing a major diplomatic storm after Keir Starmer has agreed to hand over sovereignty of the British-owned Chagos Islands, including the key military hub at Diego Garcia, to Mauritius, a country with deepening ties to China.
The move, confirmed earlier this year, has unleashed a wave of fury across Whitehall and Westminster, with defence officials warning the deal has “handed Britain’s enemies a strategic gift in the Indian Ocean.”
Under the controversial agreement, the UK will cede sovereignty to Mauritius while paying billions of British taxpayers’ money to lease back the military base and support payments over the next century. The pact allows Britain to keep operating the vital US-UK airbase at Diego Garcia, but gives Mauritius full control of the islands and surrounding territory.
India Moves In — And Raises Eyebrows In London
But before Parliament has even rubber-stamped the deal, reports suggest Mauritius has quietly struck a defence and technology agreement with India, a move said to open the door for a satellite-tracking and communications hub to be built on the doorstep of the UK–US base at Diego Garcia.
Indian media described the project as a “strategic asset for monitoring the region” and confirmed New Delhi would assist Mauritius with hydrographic mapping, navigational surveys and data-sharing across the Indian Ocean.
Critics in London fear the plans could place Indian personnel within reach of one of the West’s most sensitive bases, used for decades by US bombers, nuclear submarines and intelligence aircraft.
A senior UK defence official told the website Guido Fawkes: “Starmer’s political deal has opened the door for Mauritius to carve up Chagos and allow the Indians to bring a satellite station in almost immediately. I need not remind you what side India has generally been taking in Russia-Ukraine”. A few days ago, the BBC reported that an Indian student was captured by the Ukrainians fighting for Russia. India has continually supplied resources to Moscow during the war.
Another senior UK defence source said:
“It’s an extraordinary lapse in judgment — one that Moscow and Beijing will be watching with delight.”
Symbolic Snub — ‘We Prefer An Indian Ship’
In a pointed gesture, Mauritius’s Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam was quoted as saying his government wanted to “plant the Mauritian flag” on the islands, including Diego Garcia, but would do so aboard an Indian vessel, not a British one.
“The British offered us a ship, but we said we preferred one from India because, symbolically, it would be more meaningful,” Mr Ramgoolam said.
According to diplomatic sources, Downing Street scrambled to offer a Royal Navy vessel once the plans emerged, but by then, London had lost all leverage.
A British Multi-Billion Giveaway?
The Chagos Treaty commits Britain to pay Mauritius roughly £101 million a year over 99 years in lease fees and “support” payments, money the government insists is to guarantee the secure operation of Diego Garcia and compensate Chagossians that the then Labour government displaced in the 1960s and 70s.
But MPs on all sides are demanding answers. Conservative peer Lord Daniel Hannan blasted the deal as a sell-out of British territory and taxpayers alike, declaring:
“No British MP or peer can with honour vote to ratify this deal.”
Opposition figures claim Mauritius is now courting both China and India for economic and military support, while eyeing fishing, mineral and hydrocarbon wealth in the Chagos waters.
Critics also warn the handover could have grave consequences for Western security. By gifting Chagos to a nation bound by the Pelindaba Treaty (which bans nuclear weapons from transiting its territory), Keir Starmer’s plan could effectively limit the US and UK’s ability to operate freely in a key maritime corridor. Many see it as nothing short of a strategic gift to China.
A former Admiral who has served at Diego Garcia said:
“Overnight, Mauritius could block the US and UK from moving nuclear submarines through its waters. It’s a gift to China — it effectively disarms us on that side of the planet.”
Starmer On The Back Foot
Keir Starmer was in India this week on a trade mission accompanied by Jonathan Powell, the former Blair aide who helped design the Chagos handover. The timing has fuelled claims that Britain is bending to Chinese and Indian pressure just as New Delhi cements its partnership with Moscow and maintains a cautious distance from the West on Ukraine.
One senior security official summed up the mood bluntly:
“Britain has been played for fools. We’ve given away territory, paid billions, and allowed our allies’ rivals to move in right under our noses.”
What Happens Next
The treaty still requires formal ratification by Parliament, where MPs from across the political spectrum have pledged to oppose it. Meanwhile, a legal challenge organised by the Great British PAC for the exiled Chagossian community is under way. The group is due to learn on 28 October in the High Court whether it will be granted permission to pursue a full judicial review of the government’s decision.
Labour ministers insist the Diego Garcia base remains secure under UK-US control and that “strict safeguards” will prevent any unauthorised foreign presence nearby. But with Mauritius now free to strike its own defence deals, critics say the horse has already bolted.
“This is the most reckless act of foreign policy in a generation,” said one former defence adviser.
“Labour hasn’t just lost an island — they’ve lost the plot.”
SOURCE: conservativepost.co.uk
