Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Government recently ceded control of the Chagos Islands territory to Mauritius in a deal which, while ostensibly securing the military base of Diego Garcia — itself leased to the US military — opens the door to Chinese influence.
This is because Mauritius has drawn closer to China in recent years and could well tear up the deal with Britain, which the British taxpayer is paying Mauritius the privilege for by the way.
To be fair, negotiations were opened by the previous Tory government. Still, Labour barely waited five minutes before handing the UK territory over to a country which never actually controlled it.
How ironic then that, according to sources first disclosed by the Telegraph, newly-reelected US President Donald Trump backed UK efforts to keep the Chagos Islands when he was last in office.
Back then, Washington submitted paperwork backing the UK’s case that an international court should not interfere over the islands’ sovereignty. Trump ally Mike Pompeo said at the time UK control was essential to protect Diego Garcia.
Nigel Farage has since said figures close to Trump are critical of Labour’s deal with Mauritius. Since the treaty over the Chagos Islands’ sovereignty is still being negotiated, it is possible Trump scuppers the deal, not least because DC cannot risk Beijing cajoling Mauritius to elbow the US out of Diego Garcia, a strategic stronghold in the Indian Ocean, or at least spy on the base.
Some senior Tories have already hinted at a revisiting of the deal by Trump. That’s a bit rich given the Conservatives opened discussions and, frankly, did precious little to defend UK borders – never mind Overseas Territories – during their wasted decade-and-a-half in office.
Still, wouldn’t it be ironic if President-elect Trump ended up saving a UK territory – which, by the way, was handed to Mauritius over the heads of the Chagos Islanders – when Sir Keir’s Labour effectively let it go, trusting that Beijing would play nice?
True, the Chagos Islanders have been treated poorly by the British. But that hardly justifies handing the territory to Mauritius given China’s closeness to the Mauritian government and the risk this poses to the Western alliance.
Handing sovereignty to Mauritius may fit with Labour’s sixth-form approach to British colonial history but in the realm of hard power politics poses enormous risks given the possibility of a Chinese move on Taiwan, as well as the CCP’s ongoing disputes with the Philippines in the South China Sea.
Whether Trump ends up backing Taiwan or not is up for debate. However it would be an unmitigated disaster for Washington if China took control of the island democracy. This makes Diego Garcia super critical, and means a handover to Mauritius poses an even greater risk to US and Western security.
Labour may have sold out the Chagos Islands. Would it not be a huge irony if Trump ended up saving the territory?
