UK Conservatives Seek to Block Starmer’s £30bn Chagos Islands Deal

Sir Keir Starmer's deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has sparked significant controversy, with the Mauritian government announcing that nearly £500 million from the agreement will be used to pay off national debt and fund tax cuts benefiting 81% of employed Mauritians. Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam highlighted that the payments will enable the abolition of income tax for the majority of workers and raise minimum salaries, aiming to reduce the country's debt from 90% to 60% of GDP. Critics, particularly Conservative and Reform MPs, have condemned the deal as a costly 'surrender' that risks British sovereignty and national security, citing total UK costs over 99 years exceeding £30 billion when factoring in inflation, military base rent, and development funding. In response, the Conservative Party has introduced the British Indian Ocean Territory (Sovereignty and Constitutional Arrangements) Bill, which aims to block the transfer of sovereignty without parliamentary approval and prevent the government from disbursing funds to Mauritius without consent. Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel has strongly opposed the deal, accusing Starmer's government of betraying British Chagossians and undermining taxpayer interests. Despite opposition efforts, the government’s parliamentary majority could limit the bill’s success, leaving the future of the Chagos Islands handover uncertain.