16 hours ago · The prime minister thinks ceding the islands to Mauritius will create a ‘buffer zone’ around the US naval base on Diego Garcia. ... Sir Keir Starmer believes his deal to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius will create a “buffer zone” around Diego Garcia that can prevent China from constructing spy hubs on neighbouring atolls, the Times ...

2 days ago · Sir Keir Starmer clashed with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch over the deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. ... A deal has been reached with the Mauritian government to hand over the territory and lease back Diego Garcia at a reported cost of £90 million a year – or almost £9 billion over the 99-year term of the agreement ...

3 days ago · Sir Keir Starmer said Diego Garcia is ‘vital to our national security’ (Stefan Rousseau/PA) National security will be put at risk unless the Chagos Islands are handed over to Mauritius in a ...

3 days ago · Sir Keir Starmer warned national security could be put at risk without a deal to give “legal certainty” over the status of the Chagos Islands and the strategically important Diego Garcia ...

4 days ago · In a call with his Mauritian counterpart on Friday, Starmer used the exact same phrase, saying that Diego Garcia needed to be protected from “malign influence”. Ramgoolam was elected in November, replacing Pravind Jugnauth as prime minister of Mauritius. He said the original deal signed by the previous government was a “sellout”. Under ...

3 days ago · Keir Starmer is grilled on the government's plan to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ... The draft agreement includes the island of Diego Garcia, used as a UK-US military ...

Oct 3, 2024 · The US-UK base will remain on Diego Garcia – a key factor enabling the deal to go forward at a time of growing geopolitical rivalries in the region between Western countries, India, and China....

Jan 31, 2025 · Britain struck a deal in October to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, while retaining control under a 99-year lease of the military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island of ...

Oct 3, 2024 · U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth hailed a "seminal moment" Thursday as a political agreement was struck on the future of the islands, which have been called Britain's last African colony and are home to a crucial U.S. and U.K. military base in the Indian Ocean.

Oct 4, 2024 · Britain said Thursday that it would cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a deal it said secured the future of the UK-U.S. Diego Garcia military base, and which could also pave...