Starmer deal over Chagos Islands in turmoil after Mauritius reopens talks

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Britain will refuse to hand over more money to Mauritius in its controversial deal over the future of the Chagos Islands, UK officials have warned, as the issue has descended into a major row at Westminster.

Mauritius’ new prime minister has reopened talks over the islands’ future, sinking The deal with Great Britain thrown into disarray by his predecessor and creating a major political headache for British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Kemi BadenochThe Conservative leader accused Starmer of “knee-jerking” in international negotiations and said he was “giving things away for free”, condemning the original deal struck with the previous Mauritius government.

That agreement included a financial settlement that Britain is offering Mauritius, and UK officials are adamant it will not be renegotiated. “No more money, we’re clear on that,” said one.

Britain had sought to secure the important US military base at Diego Garcia Atoll by ceding sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a draft agreement.

Britain’s reform leader Nigel Farage claims the incoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump is “dismayed” by the deal.

Now the new Prime Minister of Mauritius, Naveen Ramgoolam, has said that the proposed agreement, which has not been ratified by treaty, “will not bring the benefits that the nation could have hoped for” and that negotiations have resumed.

Starmer’s spokesman said the UK government was working with the new Mauritian administration, adding: “We are confident that the agreement is in the common interests of both parties.”

Another British official said. “It’s a good deal. You’d expect the incoming government to address that.”

The official said institutions in Washington, including the State Department, the Pentagon and the White House, supported the deal and insisted Trump would recognize it made sense.

Britain did not say how much it would pay Mauritius as part of the deal struck in October with the previous government of Pravind Jugnauth, but said there would be an “indexed annual payment for the duration of the agreement”, a “partnership” and trust for infrastructure investment. foundation for the Chagossians.

Ramgoolam has not specified what Mauritius wants to renegotiate, people familiar with the government’s thinking told the Financial Times last month concerns about the 99-year duration lease agreement that the UK will acquire after the Diego Garcia base is handed over to Mauritius.

Ramgoulam’s push to renegotiate the Chagos deal is part of a rejection of long-time personal rival Jugnaut’s signature politics since the November election.The two men represent political dynasties that have been at odds since Mauritius’ independence in 1968.

This month, Ramgoolam, who is in his third term as prime minister and also took over as finance minister, accused the previous government of Jugnauth of falsifying GDP and debt figures for years in what is generally considered one of Africa’s richest economies.

Badenoch is escalating the issue ahead of Westminster’s Christmas break, insisting Starmer’s deal with Mauritius was part of a behavior that has also seen him crack down on striking train drivers and seek accommodations with the EU.

“Labour will always kneel,” he said, insisting Starmer would make concessions to Brussels in 2025 to secure better trade relations, including accepting the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in some areas.

“They are being taken for a ride and handing things out for free, hoping the other side will be nice to them in return,” he said in X. “They put our national security at risk and agreed to hand over the Chagos Islands and pay for it “.