UPDATE: Starmer signs deal with Mauritius to hand over Chagos Islands
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has signed an agreement to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a deal that will cost £101 million per year.
The deal involves leasing back a crucial military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the Chagos Islands, and comes after a last-minute legal challenge.
Speaking from the UK’s military headquarters, the prime minister said the base is ‘one of the most significant contributions that we make to our security relationship with the US’.
The UK will retain full operational control of Diego Garcia, including the electromagnetic spectrum satellite used for communications which counters hostile interference.
A 24-nautical mile buffer zone will be put in place around the island where nothing can be built or placed without UK consent.
source: PA
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