The UK has signed a long-awaited deal handy management of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed.
It means Britain will hand over sovereignty of the Indian Ocean territory and lease again the very important Diego Garcia army base – at a price of £101m a 12 months.
He stated the bottom was beneath menace due to Mauritius’s authorized declare on the Chagos Islands, which has been recognised by a number of worldwide courts.
“If we did not agree this deal, the legal situation would mean that we would not be able to prevent China or any other nation setting up their own bases on the outer islands, or carrying out joint exercises near our base,” Sir Keir stated.
“We would have to explain to you, the British people and to our allies, that we’d lost control of this vital asset. No responsible government could let that happen, so there’s no alternative but to act in Britain’s national interest by agreeing to this deal.”
“We will never gamble with national security,” he added.
The deal means the UK will lease the bottom from the Mauritian authorities over 99 years. Though the annual price is £101m, the web price general is £3.4bn, the federal government stated.
Sir Keir stated it’s lower than the yearly price of working an plane provider, and likewise lower than what the US is paying for the working prices of the bottom.
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