UK politics live: Britain returns Chagos Islands leading Tories to accuse Starmer of ‘surrender’

More Tory leadership candidates have joined Robert Jenrick in criticising the British Indian Ocean Territory decision.

James Cleverly said: “Weak, weak, weak! Labour lied to get into office. Said they’d be whiter than white, said they wouldn’t put up taxes, said they’d stand up to the EU, said that they be patriotic. All lies!”

Fellow rival Tom Tugendhat said: “This is a shameful retreat undermining our security and leaving our allies exposed.”

He claimed the Foreign Office had “negotiated against Britain’s interest” and it was “disgraceful that these negotiations started under our watch”.

Mr Tugendhat added: “Lord Cameron rightly blocked them only to see it back under David Lammy’s complete failure of leadership.”

But the Tories were responsible for starting the negotiations over the deal when they were in power.

Former foreign secretary Mr Cleverly opened talks on the sovereignty of the archipelago in November 2022.

The Reform UK leader told The Telegraph: “Giving up the Chagos Islands is a strategic disaster.

“Our American allies will be furious and Beijing delighted. Labour are making the world a more dangerous place.”

James Cleverly has condemned Sir Keir Starmer as “weak, weak, weak” for handing the Chagos Islands to Mauritius – despite having kicked off negotiations over the deal when he was foreign secretary.

After a barnstorming conference, which catapulted Mr Cleverly to second favourite in the Tory leadership contest, the misstep threatened to derail his momentum.

Our politics team has the full story below:

Rupert Lowe has joined the Tories in criticising the government’s decision to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

The Reform MP tweeted: “The British government is now actively undermining British interests overseas. A total surrender.

“Speaking to contacts in Gibraltar, they are incredibly concerned following the Chagos Islands capitulation – ‘the thin end of the wedge’…

“The message is loud and clear – this Labour government is a disgrace.”

This year’s Conservative Party conference in Birmingham provides a pivotal moment for reflection and debate.

It stands in stark contrast to the 2023 gathering, when Rishi Sunak’s government made a series of last-minute policy announcements, including offshoring prisoners, cutting civil servants, and controversially scrapping HS2.

Rishi Sunak had to remind Boris Johnson over the impact of his language when the former prime minister was ranting about “sacred cows”, our political editor David Maddox reports.

The episode is candidly revealed in Mr Johnson’s new book ‘Unleashed’ where he describes a meeting with his cabinet.

He wrote: “‘Come on!’ I exhorted the assembled secretaries of state, at least twice. ‘It’s time to slaughter the sacred cows.’”

Mr Johnson said that after the second occasion Mr Sunak came up to have a word. But Johnson did not quite pick up on Sunak’s “diffident” challenge.

The former prime minister noted: “I said enthusiastically ‘I want a complete abattoir, a charnel-house, a total bovicide! It’s the only way to do it.’”

But Sunak pointed out: “Just remember that not everyone would choose to use that language.”

Johnson claimed that he “gawped” and then “twigged…he was speaking to me as a convinced and practising Hindu.”

In a news release about the agreement, the government claimed handing over Chagos Island to Mauritius will close a potential illegal migration route.

The deal announcement comes after a period of negotiations that began in 2022 under the Tories.

The international court of justice (ICJ), the UN general assembly and the international tribunal of the law of the sea recognised Mauritian arguments for sovereignty in 2019 and 2021.

But the deal had not been reached until now.

Foreign secretary David Lammy said: “For the first time in more than 50 years, the status of the base will be undisputed and legally secure, following a political agreement between the UK and Mauritius.

“Without today’s agreement, the long-term, secure operation of the military base would be under threat, with contested sovereignty and legal challenges – including through various international courts and tribunals …

“Diego Garcia has also seen a small number of vulnerable migrants arrive since 2021, subsequently launching asylum claims. The agreement will shut down any possibility of the Indian Ocean being used as a dangerous illegal migration route to the UK, with Mauritius taking responsibility for any future arrivals.”

The defence secretary has defended the Labour government decision to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Mr Healey said: “This historic agreement highlights the UK’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific. The UK-US base on Diego Garcia has a vital role in protecting our interests.

“By providing long-term sovereignty over Diego Garcia, this treaty secures continued operation of this major military base.”

There are only three mentions of Liz Truss in Boris Johnson’s book Unleashed even though she was one of his most senior ministers and took over from him as Tory leader and prime minister, David Maddox reports.

Ms Truss accounts for two brief mentions in her role as foreign secretary related to Afghanistan and Ukraine and a brief mention as his successor.

Mr Johnson though prefers to focus his ire on Rishi Sunak’s “Brutus” like behaviour in betraying him. He also blames Sunak for losing the Tories the election.

The former prime minister complained about Sunak “junking the agenda on which we were elected” in 2019, and “never mentioning the good things we had done” under his premiership including Brexit.

He notes: “Instead we had a few zany ideas like making maths compulsory for 18-year-olds.”