UK signs Chagos Islands deal with Mauritius to secure future of US-UK air base

LONDON - Britain signed a deal on May 22 to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after a London judge overturned a last-minute injunction and cleared the way for an agreement the government says is vital to protect the nation’s security.

The multibillion-dollar deal will allow Britain to retain control of the strategically important US-UK air base on Diego Garcia, the largest island of the archipelago in the Indian Ocean, under a 99-year lease.

The signing went ahead after a carefully choreographed ceremony was postponed when lawyers representing a British national born in the Chagos Islands were granted an interim injunction at the High Court in the early hours of May 22.

Judge Martin Chamberlain then lifted that injunction following a hearing, saying Britain’s interests would be “substantially prejudiced” if the injunction were to continue.

The government, which has been criticised by opposition parties for pursuing a deal they say is overly costly and would play into the hands of China, has long said the agreement is essential to secure the future of Diego Garcia.

“The strategic location of this base is of the utmost significance to Britain, from deploying aircraft to defeat terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan to anticipating threats in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer told a news conference.

“By agreeing to this deal now, on our terms, we’re securing strong protections, including from malign influence, that will allow the base to operate well into the next century.”

The signing ends months of wrangling over the deal, the details of which were first announced in October 2024, after the then-Mauritian leader Pravind Jugnauth was replaced by Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, who raised concerns about it.

It was further delayed after the inauguration of US President Donald Trump in January, with London wanting to give the new administration time to examine the details of the plan. In February, Mr Trump indicated his backing for the deal.

Mr Ramgoolam welcomed the deal, saying it had been a long fight to get to this point.

“With this agreement, we are completing the total process of decolonisation,” Mr Ramgoolam said in a televised broadcast, speaking in the local Creole language.

“It’s total recognition of our sovereignty on the Chagos, including Diego Garcia.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also welcomed the deal saying it “secures the long-term, stable, and effective operation of the joint US-UK military facility at Diego Garcia”.

Latest legal challenge

The injunction was the latest legal challenge to the deal in the last two decades brought by members of the wider Chagossian diaspora, many of whom ended up in Britain after being forcibly removed from the archipelago more than 50 years ago.

It was granted following action by Ms Bertrice Pompe, a British national who was born in Diego Garcia and has criticised the deal for excluding Chagossians.

Mr James Eadie, the government’s lawyer, said the delay was damaging to British interests and “there is jeopardy to our international relations... (including with) our most important security and intelligence partner, the US.”

It is one less headache for Mr Starmer, who is under fire from his own governing Labour Party for implementing welfare cuts to try to better balance Britain’s books.

But Mr Starmer’s political opponents were again critical of the accord, arguing it was both costly and by ceding sovereignty, China could further deepen its ties with Mauritius, benefiting Beijing’s influence in the Indian Ocean.

“Labour’s Chagos Surrender Deal is bad for our defence and security interests, bad for British taxpayers and bad for British Chagossians,” Conservative Party foreign affairs spokeswoman Priti Patel said on X.

The financial component of the deal includes £3 billion (S$5.2 billion) to be paid by Britain to Mauritius over the 99-year term of the agreement, with an option for a 50-year extension and Britain maintaining the right of first refusal thereafter.

The base’s capabilities are extensive and strategically crucial. Recent operations launched from Diego Garcia include bombing strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in 2024-2025, humanitarian aid deployments to Gaza and, further back, attacks on Taliban and Al-Qaeda targets in Afghanistan in 2001. REUTERS