Chagos fears rise as Mauritius pledges closer links to Russia
Representatives of the two countries met in Port Louis, the Mauritian capital, on Friday and agreed to work more closely together on marine issues.
The talks have alarmed some in the UK, who point out that Mauritius will soon gain control of the Chagos islands, where there is a strategic British-American military base.
Sir Keir Starmer has agreed to sign away sovereignty of the archipelago and lease back Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands, that hosts the base.
The Government says the deal, which will cost the UK a reported £9 billion over 100 years, will give the military base 'security' from legal threats by Mauritius, which has long claimed the islands.
Critics say it will allow Mauritian allies to build listening posts around Diego Garcia, compromising the security of the base.
On Friday concerns were heightened further after a meeting between Oksana Nikolaevna Lut, the Russian agriculture minister, and Arvin Boolell, her Mauritian counterpart.
The Mauritian government said the pair discussed their 'commitment to advancing cooperation in agriculture, research, irrigation, and fisheries, and building on a longstanding partnership with a shared focus on sustainable development'.
Mr Boolell also visited a historic Russian sailing ship moored in Mauritius, and described the trip as an 'opportunity to deepen collaboration in key sectors, including agriculture, irrigation, and marine research'.
Once the transfer of the Chagos islands is complete, Mauritius will control fishing rights in the area, and be responsible for marine conservation.
It comes after The Telegraph reported a similar meeting between the Mauritian prime minister and the Chinese ambassador on Thursday.
Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said the close ties between Russia and Mauritius raised fresh concerns about the Chagos deal.
'It is inconceivable that a Government whose first concern and priority has to be the defence of the realm would give away one of the most important strategic and military assets we hold to a country which cosies up to a deal with Russia,' she told The Telegraph.
'We simply cannot afford to gamble in any way with our national security and defence and Mauritius's collaboration with Russia, a country responsible for a war on European soil, sums up how catastrophic this knee-bending Labour government is.
'Britain's standing in the world is being crushed by Labour's disregard of our national interest.'
Ministers insist that the Chagos deal will contain security guarantees that would prevent spying by foreign powers and point to support for the deal by the Trump administration.
The final terms of the agreement, which have not been made public, were expected to be published earlier this month.
But government sources said the announcement had been delayed amid nervousness in Downing Street about how it would be received by MPs.
The Conservatives and Reform UK have both attacked Sir Keir over the deal, claiming it amounts to a 'surrender' to international courts.
Downing Street maintains that it will provide 'legal certainty' that will allow the military base to continue to operate.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Football supporters now have a bigger say in how their clubs are run
The Football Governance Act has officially become UK law after receiving royal assent, establishing an independent regulator for English football. This landmark legislation introduces a watchdog for the top five tiers of the men's game, aiming to ensure clubs are run sustainably and are accountable to their supporters. The new regulator will possess 'backstop' powers to impose financial settlements between the English Football League (EFL) and the Premier League if they fail to reach an agreement. The Act's journey to law was prompted by the attempted European Super League breakaway and numerous instances of clubs facing financial distress and mismanagement. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy highlighted that the Act delivers on promises to fans, protecting cherished clubs and their vital role in communities.
The Guardian
14 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Keir Starmer tells MPs he wants to cut child poverty before next election
Keir Starmer said he wants to reduce child poverty by the end of the parliament, as the prime minister comes under mounting pressure to end the two-child benefit cap. The prime minister told MPs on Monday it was his aim to cut the number of children living in poverty by the time of the next election, going further than the manifesto pledge his party made before last year's election. Starmer's target will renew focus on ending the two-child cap, which poverty campaigners say is the most efficient way to take children out of poverty but would cost an estimated £3.6bn a year. Speaking to members of parliament's liaison committee, the prime minister said: 'We've set up a designated taskforce to look specifically to child poverty, to devise our strategy, and I have oversight of that, so that everybody can see it's a No 10/prime minister priority in what we're doing.' Asked by Meg Hillier, the chair of the Treasury select committee, whether it was his aim to cut child poverty this parliament, he replied: 'Yes. The last Labour government got child poverty down, and I want to get child poverty down.' His comments go further than the 2024 party manifesto, which promised to 'develop an ambitious strategy to reduce poverty'. But the government remains unclear on how it intends to meet the prime minister's target, with the results of the child poverty taskforce expected later this year. Starmer has previously said he wants to end the cap 'when fiscal conditions allow' but ministers said this has been made harder recently by the government's decision to abandon planned cuts to disability benefits in the face of a Labour rebellion. Child poverty rates have been rising for most of the last decade, and nearly a third of children now live in poverty, according to campaign groups. Ending the two-child cap, which was imposed by the Conservatives in 2017, would be a costly measure but one that experts say would have the most direct impact on poverty rates per pound spent. The Child Poverty Action Group says scrapping it would take 350,000 children out of poverty overnight – reducing the rate by seven percentage points. Starmer came under heavy criticism during Monday's hearing with the chairs of all 32 Commons select committees – even from his Labour colleagues over the government's record on poverty and living standards. Debbie Abrahams, the chair of the work and pensions select committee, said she had been 'ashamed' by the initial proposals in the government's welfare bill, against which she helped lead the rebellion. 'This was poor legislation,' she said. 'It was designed to save money for the Treasury by cutting support to sick and disabled people. It was so far removed from Labour values of fairness and social justice, let alone compassion and common decency. I have to say I felt ashamed.' Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Liam Byrne, the chair of the business select committee, warned that government policies were helping make the bottom 40% of households worse off. 'The bottom 40% of households, they're not going to be better off in three years' time,' he said. 'They're actually going to be £1,200 a year worse off.' Byrne urged Starmer to commit to raising capital gains tax to give lower-paid people a tax cut – something the prime minister declined to rule out. Starmer did however say he wanted to sign further deals with the EU following on from the government's recent 'reset', specifically on cooperation over medicines and making it easier for touring musicians and other artists to travel around the continent. 'They're not the only areas, but these are common sense changes that we could make to our arrangements with the EU, which have, in my view, very little to do with the vote in 2016.' The prime minister added that he had been 'quite uncomfortable' about the Afghanistan superinjunction, which hid a major data breach and secret relocation scheme. The prime minister called the scheme and the superinjunction a 'shocking inheritance' from the previous government, even though his ministers extended the legal tool twice and only lifted it after a year in power.
South Wales Guardian
31 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Officers considering legal action against Police Scotland over Trump visit plans
The Scottish Police Federation (SPF), which represents 98% of all police officers in Scotland, said the force has already breached health and safety standards in the run up to the visit by the US president. Thousands of officers are expected to be involved in what Police Scotland has described as a 'significant policing operation'. The White House confirmed Mr Trump will visit his golf courses in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire between July 25 and 29. He will meet the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the First Minister John Swinney during his private trip. The visit is likely to result in widespread protests, following similar demonstrations during his last visit to Scotland. David Kennedy, general secretary of the SPF, suggested planning for the visit has already put officers at risk. He said: 'We currently have workforce agreements in place to protect police officers and provide minimum standards of Health and Safety at work. 'Sadly, we have seen these agreements breached in the days leading to the arrival of Potus (President of the United States) and as such we are seeking legal advice regarding potential legal action against the service.' Speaking to STV News, Mr Kennedy said he had 'major concerns' about the plans to police Mr Trump's trip. He told the broadcaster: 'We do not have enough police officers in Scotland. 'Anyone that says we do, I don't know where they get those figures from. 'We know what police officers have to do day in, day out and we need more officers in Scotland. 'When these events come along that puts those officers that are here under so much pressure.' Police Scotland said earlier this month it would seek help from the Scottish and UK Governments over the 'considerable' cost of policing the visit. It has also asked for support from Northern Ireland's police force, the PSNI. There had been speculation the King would host the American leader in Scotland after a meeting was suggested at Balmoral or Dumfries House, in a letter he wrote to Mr Trump in February inviting him to make the state visit. But it is understood that both sides will wait until the president's official state visit later this year. Police Scotland's Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond said: 'We are working closely with the Scottish Police Federation to address any concerns they may have.' A spokesperson for the PSNI said: 'There are well established processes for any UK-based police services to request support from other services at times of peak demand. 'These requests are managed via the National Police Co-ordination Centre (NPoCC) and we can confirm that PSNI have received a request to provide mutual aid to Police Scotland which we are currently assessing. 'The decision to provide officers under the mutual aid process will be considered against our own demands, ensuring that we retain the capacity to respond effectively to local issues and maintain our own operational competence.'
