Why?
There are good reasons why we need to keep the Chagos.
1. We are bound by a US/Uk Treaty to keep the freehold of our crucial Indian Ocean joint base.
2. Giving it to Mauritius could mean Chinese fishing boats getting licences to plunder the seas near the base.
3. It could mean occupation of adjacent islands to Diego Garcia limiting use of base
4. Mauritius has signed an anti nuclear Treaty but Diego Garcia is a nuclear handling base.
5. It could lead to commercial exploitation of the seas and islands, damaging a well protected marine environment.
6 Uk taxpayers will be ripped off actually having to make large payments as well as giving the valuable freehold away for nothing.
Legal issues
1. The UK cannot be bound by an advisory opinion of the ICJ which has led to this policy.
2. Any way the UK has an opt out for Commonwealth and defence matters from any ICJ verdict.
3 The UK is bound by the US Treaty to keep the freehold of the islands.
Likely outcome
The US is being alerted to the dangers if this deal. The UK authorities now know they have to modify the US Treaty first. The US President has not yet formally endorsed the disastrous UK deal.
February 10, 2026
Indeed let us hope this disastrous, indefensible and vastly expensive deal can still be killed dead – but it is looking increasingly unlikely.
February 10, 2026
One has to wonder why so much political capital is being wasted on this disastrous policy. There is more to this than we are being told.
We know ow the Atorney general, Chief of Staff and key Foreign Adviser to the government have history when it comes to antagonising Britain but this is in another level.
I smell a whiff of corruption and some serious playoffs being promised.
We have just lost the master of dark arts due to the Epstien papers. Will this grubby deal have similar connotations.
February 10, 2026
@Ian Wragg – when legal teams get involved to create scenarios, they get paid. Then when it is UK Legal teams working for a Foreign Government against the UK, it is right to question the whole affair.
February 10, 2026
Agreed. Unfortunately all of these facts have been clear from the outset. I fear logic, common sense and national interest count for naught with this Government.
If I lived in Gibraltar or The Falklands I’d be alarmed at this precedent.
February 10, 2026
+1
February 10, 2026
I live in England and I’m alarmed at this precedent.
February 10, 2026
LL,
Agreed. Though maybe Starmer now has preservation of his own job as his biggest concern.
Reason 6 is particularly irritating.
February 10, 2026
Indeed.
As to 6.
Perhaps some Brits can go and live in Mauritius tax free it seems with their taxes paid for by UK tax payers. Then of course Mauritius might get another huge pay off when they sell or lease off bits of the archipeligo or fishing/defence rights etc. to China or others!
February 10, 2026
…and the Chagos Islanders?
February 10, 2026
Transferring the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and paying them for the privilege was not in the Labour Party Manifesto.
The House of Lords could stop it and it should. So could Trump, and HE should if the Lords refuse/fail to do their duty.
The House of Lords could and should also demand complete transparency from Two-Tier and the Foreign Office over the process which has taken place during the “negotiations” – why the Foreign Office has pushed it so desperately after Cameron vetoed it, and focusing on the roles played by Philip Sands, Jonathan Powell ….. and Mandelson.
It stinks.
February 10, 2026
See – The guilty men: the ideologues who undermine Britain
The Spectator – (Hermer, Powell, Sands and alas so many more Mandelson, Blair, Starmer, Miliband, Reeves, Lammy, B Phillipson …)
February 10, 2026
@Lifelogic +1, follow the money
February 10, 2026
Good morning.
I have not read the Labour Party manifesto but, I would be pretty surprised if it contain a promise to give the Chagos Islands to a foreign country and pay them to do so.
Further from my comment yesterday and the worth of manifesto promises, is it now time to make these legal documents ? ie Social Contracts. Is it also time that, should a government wish to implement a policy that is either contrary to their manifesto or not in their manifesto that a legally binding referendum should be held before it becomes law.
Our system of democracy works well when everyone plays by both the written and unwritten rules. But when they act in a manner that clearly is in the Public Interest and, in this case of national security, not to mention cost, I think it is high time ‘we the little’ people had a say.
Parliaments and governments, of all colours, can no longer be trusted.
Reply The Labour Manifesto promised to protect the sovereignty of our Crown dependencies!
February 10, 2026
@Mark B. Yes, it’s high time that a Party wishing to impose a policy contrary to its manifesto has to have a referendum. The days of ignoring the little people should be over. We at the bottom should have wider powers, via referendums. Switzerland manages pretty well with such a system, proving it works. Simply relying on elections every 5 years doesn’t cut it.
February 10, 2026
Agree
February 10, 2026
To reply:- Alas they cannot even (or do not want to) police or protect the coast in Kent!
February 10, 2026
A combination of Starmer, Lammy, and FO adherence to ICJ partial edicts will at best lead to a dimunation of the relationship with our closest ally. I contend that so called globalism is a false god being used to divide the western alliance. Labour, not only a financial disaster, has become a catastrophy we can no longer indulge.
I find it ironic that Labour, constipated on human rights and DEI can be so flipant and disregarding of the human rights of the refugee Chargosians. Frankly Labour disgust me. The sooner they depart and cease inflicting us with their insanities the better.
February 10, 2026
“The sooner they depart and cease inflicting us with their insanities the better.”
Indeed we had quite enough socialist insanties under the 14 years of the green crap pushing, open borders, botched Brexit, botched Covid, tax borrow and waste “Conservatives”.
February 10, 2026
“The US is being alerted to the dangers if (of) this deal”
Well, that is down to the dreadful Nigel Farage. Farage pressed the Chagos case with the Trump at two in-person meetings late last year. One was in the Oval Office in September, the other at an event on Nov 7 at Mar-a-Lago. Over a three-course menu of beef filet, truffle dauphinoise, pan-seared scallop and a trio of desserts
Farage pressed the issue of Labour’s Chagos deal purely to embarrass the government. He never misses an opportunity to slag the UK off – to whatever foreigners he can get to listen. I doubt that either Farage or Trump would know where the Chagos islands or Diego Garcia were.
The risks of divesting responsibility for the Chagos have been overblown. It’s all pure politics
Reply various briefings have been sent or put to senior Republicans by a number of concerned MPs,by Shadow Cabinet, commentators etc,
February 10, 2026
Senator Kennedy gave an excellent speech covering the stupidity of the Chagos deal and offered to buy it.
February 10, 2026
Indeed better to sell it to the US than pay to give it away to Mauritius/China!
February 10, 2026
SG: “Farage pressed the issue of Labour’s Chagos deal purely to embarrass the government.”
Yes, but why did the PM decide to proceed with this deal to give away the islands with a £35bn dowry to Mauritius and give Farage the opportunity to “embarrass” the government? Especially as it was not in the Labour manifesto, there is no legal case to do so, it breaks a treaty with the US and the Chagossians are against it?
February 10, 2026
@SG. Good for Farage, whether he’s dreadful or not and I don’t see that his choice of food matters. Even the very worst people can sometimes do something good.
February 10, 2026
We must again rely on President Trump to provide leadership to the West and to block Starmer & Co’s disastrous ‘deal’. Is the hand of Jonathan Powell also in this? Is it known whether he was involved in Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador?
February 10, 2026
Handing the Chagos islands over (at circa £35b to Mauritius) was not in the Labour manifesto. It was one of the surprises Starmer dropped on us. Most of his un-signalled surprises resulted in U-turns. This one needs to join the collection.
The so called human rights lawyer Starmer, might consider the human rights of the Chagosssians, who were forcibly evicted but many would like to return.
The parliamentary opposition seem very quiet on the issue ?
Reply On the contrary, continuous action in both Commons and Lords has held up the bill and made the case against surrender
February 10, 2026
Holding up the bill is one thing. Getting it terminated is rather more important.
February 10, 2026
If you can’t kill it holding it up is better than allowing it to be enacted, don’t you think?
Anything could happen, the PM could be displaced.
February 10, 2026
Sir John,
I hope your day in the Lords goes well 👍
At some stage could you explain how your relationship with the Conservative party works in the Lords, is there a whipping system as in the Commons or some other different arrangement?
February 10, 2026
I think it likely that Trump has ddecided to defend the base regardless of Starmer’s deal. This means we now have a point of direct conflict between China and the Us/UK in the Indian Ocean which we did not have before..
I do not know whether Starmer considered this but it is clear form everything else he does that he has an intense dislike for the notion of Britain as an independent sovereign nation state. So as in the case of Mandelson’s appointment as ambasador to the USA he probably discounted the brief and advice he would doubtless have been given by the Foreign Office and MoD on the strategic importance of the base on Diego Garcia.
If Starmer is ousted it is likely his successor will be even worse. There is no way of ridding the UK of Starmer’s Gang or its successor until it chooses of its own accord to submit to the electorate. Whoever their leader is this Gang, when it realises it is running out of time for its destructive and hateful agenda, will no doubt double down to do as much damage as it can in the time it has left.
February 10, 2026
The Chagos Islands don’t belong to parliament to be given away …they belong to the people of the UK including the Chagoians
February 10, 2026
Trump has said that irrespective of what treaties and agreements are in place he’ll ignore them and secure the base by force if he needs to based on USA interests. So why are we bothering to put any new agreements with Mauritius in place at all if one involved party will ignore them ?
February 10, 2026
Only an idiot could give away the Chagos Islands! Unfortunately we have three of them, Starmer, Harmer and Sands.
February 10, 2026
Two more reasons why Mauritius should not be handed the Chagos Islands:
At the time of Independence Mauritius was paid to acknowledge they had no claim to the islands.
The displaced Chagossians prefer to stay under UK control.
The whole scheme is so mad, expensive and counterproductive you question whether there is something more we don’t know.
February 10, 2026
Agree – We went to war to protect the principal of ‘self-determination’ …..now we ignore it
February 10, 2026
I am very disappointed that Trump has not exercised the USAs veto to the Chagos give away. If America says the original treaty must be maintained that effectively closes the option of giving the Islands to Mauritius.
There is simply no upside for the UK if we give the islands away. Anyone other than the USA that is. The USA might even be prepared to buy them if Senator Kennedy has any influence on matters.
February 10, 2026
I am very disappointed that Trump has not exercised the USA’s veto to the Chagos islands give away. If America says the original treaty must be maintained that effectively closes the option of giving the Islands to Mauritius.
There is simply no upside for the UK if we give the islands away. Anyone other than the USA that is. The USA might even be prepared to buy them if Senator Kennedy has any influence on matters.
February 10, 2026
Sorry about the double tap folks…
February 10, 2026
Sir John
Reflecting on it as I see it personally, ( raises issue of the interests of those lobbying for the deal who are close to the government ed)
There is no other reason on this Planet to give away something you own, something that is a large part of the UK’s and its Peoples safety and security. There is no reason to the rent it back other that it advances payouts to vested interested parties.
As you infer renting back just a tiny part while leave the rest of the archipelago free to be exploited thus undermining the function of Chagos. The Chinese in just a few short years have in contested areas of the sea converted undersea reefs into full airports and seaports to support their military and assert pressure on neighbours who thought the area was theirs. That is more than just fishing and spying
February 10, 2026
This is a very important issue.
1. We need to keep the base
2 We don’t (necessarily) need to share it with USA
3. The nonmilitary areas belong to the Chagos islanders and Mauretius, which is far away, haa nothing to do with those people or their islands.
February 10, 2026
If HMG decides to modify the US treaty won’t that mean another reason for Trump to see the special relationship as a farce.
It’s hard to see what drives a UK PM to give away a valuable asset while imposing a huge cost on taxpayers. Has anybody asked him what his reasoning is/was, other that the UN told him he should?
As I understand it the bill has been removed from the Lords – No doubt it will be reintroduced when the PM is feeling a little stronger.
February 10, 2026
The PM has all the legal tools he needs to cancel this give-away of the Chagos Islands with a large dowry. So if the PM proceeds it can only be for ideological reasons. Mauritius, 2000 km from the Chagos Islands, is not even the nearest Commonwealth country to these islands. And, most importantly, despite claiming to be an HR lawyer, the PM is not willing to give the Chagossians a referendum on whether they wish to the island to remain British or be given to Mauritius. BTW, if any payment is to be made by the UK surely it should be made to the Chagossians and not the Mauritius government?
February 10, 2026
To make everyone’s day.
Latest Home Office figures confirm that more small boat migrants have crossed the Channel under Starmer than any other Prime Minister. Since Labour came to power, 65,922 migrants have landed in the UK…
Even this is spin ‘migrants’? entering a country illegally is criminal first. Each criminal steals a place from legitimate asylum seekers that is theft, another criminal event
February 10, 2026
The danger is that the Prime Minister maybe this as his lasting legacy as did May with Net Zero.
February 10, 2026
The danger is that the Prime Minister may see this as his lasting legacy as did May with Net Zero.
February 10, 2026
Why indeed ? There is no clear rationale for this move , so the real reason is probably being hidden from us.
Mauritius is on the African continental shelf , Chagos is on the Indian continental shelf and there is more than 1,500km between them . There is no ethnic , language or historic link between the two so why are Chagos islanders being given no say in their future. ? Why is the UK creating a colony for Mauritius ?
The man behind this move would seem likely to Lord Hermer , the AG, ( words left out ed)We need answers from him.
February 10, 2026
Continue your good work in the House of Lords
February 10, 2026
Am afraid the ICJ ruling 2019 cannot be ignored – if was wrong to seperate the Chagos from Maritius 1965 at the time of Maritius independence and it all reminds me of how NI was hived off from the rest of Ireland 1922 even though Sinn Fein won the vast majority of votes in the whole island GE 1918. There’s been too too much of this shenanigans in the past and now it’s time to face up and correct some things – the days of empire are over.
Reply The ICJ opinion has no sway over the UK on this matter. Chagos never belonged to Mauritius, they were both UK colonies
February 10, 2026
Trump calls it an act of stupidity…I agree ,but what’s new we have been giving away the Brits territory bit by bit for years.
It felt like home yesterday evy when I watched Call my bluff and Face the music on TV Wonderful Brits..zFrank Muir, Patrick Campbell,Robin Ray etc.No shouting ,no arguing,no overgrown egos… Where did my home go?
February 10, 2026
219 ‘illegal immigrants’ invaded the UK 8th Feb 2026 ….
February 10, 2026
322 ‘illegal immigrants’ invaded the UK yesterday 9th Feb 2026
February 10, 2026
A disastrous deal typifies a disastrous government.
February 10, 2026
Congratulations to Baron Redwood of Wokingham.
February 10, 2026
I fear the PM has coldly calculated that an attempt at judicial review would not succeed, and even the Supreme Court would give way and side with the Government.
Our only hope was for the US to see clearly that it cannot mitigate the damage done by Mauritian control of the area – except by blowing Chinese fishing boats and spy vessels out of the water on a regular basis.
For some reason Trump will not tell Starmer where to go.
February 10, 2026
The major difference between Bismarck and Hitler (religion and patriotism / nationalism).
Bismarck was a devout, although flawed, Christian (and married to a devoutly Christian woman) who was a real PATRIOT (where his religion charged his patriotism).
Some of Hitler’s closest allies were deeply anti-religious (in particular Martin Bormann) which helped charge their (secular) NATIONALISM (Just as there are two types of Capitalism – the capitalism of greed like of Scrooge before his conversion that destroys a nation and the capitalism of work ethic and imagination that pays for strong family life and for culture and a thriving civilisation in general.
Patriotism is about loving your country but not looking down on others. Nationalism is about a false love of country and about hating others / thinking oneself superior to other nations.
(Yes, Bismarck could be anti-Catholic but it was more about political suspicion than theology).
Both Nazism and Communism (and, increasingly, Wokism) are anti religion and anti true patriotism.
February 10, 2026
We have given our fishing away to the EU which parliament has agreed to
So what chance do we have with foreign waters the public have no say it’s all down to parliament
February 10, 2026
How Christianity could save the tax payer billions and billions and billions of pounds.
Christianity does NOT say money, s-x, power, technology are evil. Nor does it say be a wimp. These are lies. HERESIES.
Joseph of Egypt was a wealthy and powerful man (the second most powerful man in the world). The Bible’s Song of Songs is sooo erotic that some Christians can’t believe it is part of the Bible. Sir Isaac Newton was a devout Christian (and biblical scholar). As was Bismarck. And Bach. And so many more people of culture and civilisation – and business (the Dutch entrepreneur of the 20th century) was devout Christian Frits Philips (and so popular in his local town of Eindhoven that the football team there have a golden seat in the stadium in his memory. He was also Righteous Amongst Nations). Not forgetting Cyrus the Great is a hero in the Bible. And that Queen Elizabeth I saw herself very much as a Christian queen. (And of course all our institutions Christian in origin – Parliament, Monarchy, Oxford, Cambridge, Guilds, Grammar Schools, Eton, and so on). And all our wonderful medieval Cathedrals and churches. And the role of Christianity in the Renaissance and so on. (And not forgetting the Quakers too in business and charity).
Christianity teaches: WORK ETHIC, PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, to rely on FAMILY instead of state, PATRIOTISM, HAPPY FAMILY LIFE, HAPPY MARRIED LIFE, CULTURE, CIVILISATION, LEISURE, ARMED FORCES – everything a rich and diverse culture and civilisation requires – and that saves tax payers billions and billions and billions of pounds (or could) if more followed its values. This is not about proselytising but figuring out how to maintain and strengthen Christian values (and the best of our Graeco-Roman values that so often over-lap with Christianity) in our great country.
And many atheists / agnostics agree. And we have to do something as our country / western culture and civilisation is going into decline fast (not just UK but the entire West).
(And good politics essential too – but only going to solve 5% to 10% of our worst problems).
February 10, 2026
(And the great St Francis of Assisi, who Mrs Thatcher fondly quoted in her opening speech, was NOT attacking money – or culture or civilisation. That is the HERESY of the Franciscan Fraticelli that Francis would have condemned theologically if he had been alive then. What he was attacking, or undermining by his life of poverty, was corruption/greed – where money can be a curse. But it can also be a blessing. Depending on how you approach it. Same argument for power, s-x, technology and so on).
February 10, 2026
Disaster Starmer enjoys making headlines for nutty ideas!
February 10, 2026
Why is the US blockade of Cuba not on the news?
Cuba has little airplane fuel, rationing petrol to civilians, people being told not to work full hours so that electricity supply is rationed.
I suppose the ties to Venezuela, Russia, China etc and their role in the supply of oil and drugs from Venezuela are a big deal.
February 10, 2026
Difficult topic – much safer to stick with parking meters and double yellow lines
February 10, 2026
Info only: Distance from Chagos Island
Maldives 310 miles
Sri Lanka 1,050 miles
India 1,100 miles
Seychelles 1,170 miles
Mauritius 1,240 miles …..and Mauritius has a claim ?
February 11, 2026
Dear Lord R, the ermine suits you.
You make the rational arguments against the Chagos “deal” succinctly and devastatingly. I have not heard anyone make a positive argument for this folly beyond parroting an unconvincing Foreign Office briefing paper.
In material terms, the future of the British Indian Ocean Territory will not figure high on most people’s agenda against the cost of living, the NHS or house prices. But it is psychologically significant as yet another government measure that depresses instead of uplifting the national spirit.
No-one wants to live in a weak country of losers. No wonder more Scots and Welsh want to break away to make a nation they can be proud of .
February 11, 2026
Thank goodness the US President has to formally endorse the deal first. Surely he couldn’t do that after Russian and Chinese judges and Starmer/Hermer recommended it. If Trump doesn’t endorse it then does the treaty document we have signed become nullified? I thought Mauritius had quickly sold off maritime rights on the strength of the deal. Perhaps we shall be sued!
February 13, 2026
Now is the time to pounce on Starmer. Tell him no deal on Chagos. Trump needs to back us on this. Starmer has made himself clear on his love for communist China so we know what he is up to. Look at everything you buy and it is made in China. i want to see some things made in GB and they have been in power long enough to start providing us with this option. Obviously they don’t want to as they are communist based in thought. I worry for what is being taught in schools by these people after nappy changing has taken place by parents who need some schooling on looking after cleanliness of children.