When the Lords ended its consideration of the Bill to give away the Chagos islands the Conservatives decided to table a motion condemning the policy rather than forcing a vote to stop the Third Reading of the Bill. Had they opted to vote against 3rd Reading instead they would have lost the vote and the government could claim the Lords supported their bad policy. Instead the Lords passed a very critical motion urging the government to change policy. The motion said
“the UK-Mauritius Agreement does not secure the long term future of the Diego Garcia base, creates uncertainty over the continuing unrestricted use of the base, imposes £35 bn of costs on UK taxpayers, was signed without consultation with the Chagosian people”
Conservative Lords pointed out the lack of control over the protected marine environment, the anti nuclear stance of Mauritius, the right of Mauritius to issue fishing rights and allow settlement of islands adjacent to Diego Garcia and the unity of Chagosians that their islands should stay under the UK.
In yesterday’s Telegraph Graham Stringer, Labour MP, made a strong case to stop the give away, pointing out that it violates Manifesto promises they made about UK overseas territories and ignores the rights of the Chagosians themselves.
The President of the USA condemned the give away on Truth Social yesterday. The PM used precious political capital in his early meetings with the President to reassure the US that the base would be safe and secure under new ownership. The President gave him the benefit of the doubt but has clearly now had second thoughts on getting more briefing about what could happen with the base under new ownership. The two main propositions of the PM that the UK could be forced to give up the islands, and that his deal would make them secure were both wrong.
At a time of tension between the US and UK, and between the PM and some of his backbenchers, it would be a good idea to quietly bury this policy. The Chancellor should be pleased to save the money, the Chagosians pleased they have at last been listened to, the US reassured the UK could still make a key base available to them without Mauritius changing the rules and Labour backbenchers would have one less violation of Manifesto promises to explain. What’s not to like?
It was very odd of Andrew Rosindell to complain the Conservatives were not reliable on Chagos when the Conservative peers had just delivered a critical motion and avoided a positive vote in the Lords for this wrong policy. Too many people have commented on this issue without reading what has happened.
January 21, 2026
Nobody in Reform would have been able to work out this tactic and pull it off.
Trump could not say that we would actually be paying Mauritius – a random country with no link to the islands, to take it. Nobody would have believed him, all the usual suspects would have said he was uninformed and mad.
Somebody is certainly mad.
January 21, 2026
“What’s not to like?”. That’s what makes it so extraordinary. Why is Starmer so determined to press forward? There’s opposition from his own side, and the USA so he doesn’t have to say he’s done a U turn because of the Tories/Reform, he can spin it.
Either he’s completely pig-headed, or something else is going on.
January 21, 2026
Good morning.
All this is being done to please his mate, Lord Harmer (sp). It has been a long time pet project and now the fruits of their efforts seem to be realised.
Finally. If this goes through, who’s next ? The Falklands ? It will certainly embolden the Argentine government.
January 21, 2026
Can you accept that it was the Conservatives that started this process in November 2022? David Cameron stopped the process, but some current Conservative MPs were happy to instigate it?
Reply Conservative Ministers prior to Cameron did not stop officials exploring the issues they claimed were there at UN but never proposed giving away Chagos. Cameron made it policy not to give away Chagos which has been Conservative policy ever since.