Keir Starmer’s proposed deal with Mauritius to hand over the Chagos Islands would not prevent China from building a rival base in another part of the archipelago, according to a written ministerial answer.
Fresh concerns about a further security risk to the joint UK/ US airbase on Diego Garcia came as foreign office (FCDO) minister Stephen Doughty doubled down on trying to get the PM’s handover deal agreed.
Mr Doughty was responding to an urgent question from Tory shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel after the Mauritian prime minister Dr Navin Ramgoolam rejected the deal as “not good enough” and demanded talks were reopened.
Mr Ramgoolam said the draft deal “would not produce the benefits that the nation could expect” and negotiations had restarted.
Shadow defence minister Mark Francois asked Labour if Mauritius “will have the right to allow basing on, occupancy of and access” to other Chagos islands.
The written question was asked because of ongoing concerns that China will use the change in sovereignty to take a key strategic position in the Indian Ocean and render the UK/US base on Diego Garcia unusable.
Responding, defence minister Luke Pollard wrote: “Our primary goal throughout negotiations was to protect the joint UK/US military base on Diego Garcia, which plays a crucial role in regional and international security. The operation of the base will continue unchanged with strong protections from malign influence. For the first time in over 50 years the base will be undisputed and legally secure.
“Details of the treaty agreed between the UK and Mauritius will come before parliament for scrutiny in the usual manner following its signature. We have full Mauritian backing for robust security arrangements, including preventing foreign armed forces from accessing or establishing themselves on the outer islands. It would be inappropriate to release further details at this stage.”
Mr Francois said: “Yet more Chagos chaos from this Government. Every few days another weakness in the so-called deal seems to emerge and now it apoersthe protections against a third country, such as China, putting installations elsewhere in the archipelago may be weaker than first mooted. The whole thing was a disaster from the outset and the sooner the Government abandons it the better.”
The government had already failed to guarantee that Britain and the US could take nuclear weapons to the island because Mauritius is a signatory of a treaty making its territory a nuclear weapons free zone.
While the outgoing Joe Biden administration has supported the deal, Donald Trump’s team is looking for a way to veto it.
But answering an urgent question in the Commons from Dame Priti, Mr Doughty insisted Labour still wants to press ahead with the deal despite the Mauritius rejection.
He said: “Tthere is a huge amount of speculation. Let’s get back to the actual facts on this which is that the prime minister has confirmed himself in Mauritius to his assembly, that he is willing to conclude this deal with the United Kingdom. Those are the facts and we will protect our national security and our interests.”
Meanwhile Nigel Farage added to concerns that president-elect Trump will try to veto the deal.
Mr Farage told the Commons: “I’ve just returned hot foot from a very full Mar-a-Lago, and I have spoken to several members, senior administrators especially, of the incoming administration who will be in the White House in 32 days time.
“Let me assure you, there is very deep disquiet amongst all of them as to what this may mean for the long-term future of Diego Garcia and whether such deal would hold, given the precedent of the deal break over Hong Kong.
“They also can’t understand why we would surrender the sovereignty of these islands on an advisory judgment for a pretty obscure court.”
He suggested the terms of the deal should be put to a referendum of exiled Chagossians.
Mr Doughty said the rules in the US meant contacts with the incoming administration in the transition period were limited, but he was “confident” that when Mr Trump and his team saw the full details of the deal they would back it.
He said: “We are… confident that when the full details of this deal are provided by, indeed, the US national security apparatus that any concerns will be allayed.”