The government has defended its controversial decision to relinquish control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius with an excuse so far-fetched it could be mistaken for a plot from a spy novel

Sir Keir Starmer clashed with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch over the deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

The Tory leader says Labour's negotiations could cost the UK billions; the prime minister questions whether Badenoch has been "properly briefed" on UK security.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday told his Mauritian counterpart, Navin Ramgoolam, that he wants "strong protections", including from "malign influence", for a U.S.-British military base on Diego Garcia,

The UK government said it wouldn’t provide any details on a proposed multibillion-pound deal to continue operating a military base in the Chagos archipelago once it cedes control of the islands until it’s finalized,

Sir Keir Starmer has come under fire at PMQs after Mauritius said the UK had agreed to change payment terms in its deal to hand it control of the Chagos Islands. It comes after Mauritian PM Navin Ramgoolam claimed the UK had now agreed to front-load the payments and change how they are calculated.