David Lammy said the decision to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius was carried out as an agreement to save strategically important Anglo-American military bases after opposition MPs accused them of having vital assets transferred. It was praised that it was done.
The government announced last week that it would hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending years of bitter conflict over Britain’s last African colony, but the military base on Diego Garcia will remain under British control.
In a statement to parliament, the foreign minister said the agreement was needed because the current situation was clearly not “sustainable”. Citing U.S. support for the deal, Lamy told lawmakers: Without security of tenure, there would be no base. This agreement is a win-win for us, the UK, the US and Mauritius. ”
He added: “This is a diplomatic victory. We defended our base and it was secured for the long term.”
Mr Lammy said the agreement did not imply similar arrangements planned for Gibraltar or the Falkland Islands in the near future. “The UK’s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar and the Sovereign Base Area is non-negotiable,” he said. “The situation is incomparable. This is recognized throughout the overseas territories.”
Five years ago, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion condemning Britain’s continued control of the Chagos Islands. Mr Lamy said a binding judgment against the UK seemed inevitable if the government did not agree to a deal and risked losing bases or breaking international law.
Conservative MPs heckled Mr Lamy on Monday over the deal, despite the previous government taking part in 11 negotiations, the last of which took place just weeks before the general election. Negotiations began in November 2022 and included former foreign secretary James Cleverley and David Cameron.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell said the government was “proposing to transfer significant military assets” and said this would “provide aid to our enemies in a dangerous world”. .
Former immigration secretary Robert Jenrick also condemned the deal, saying: “We have just ceded British sovereignty to a small island nation that is an ally of China, and we are paying a price for that privilege, but all… “It’s to make the foreign minister feel better.” Talk about himself at your next North London dinner party. Whose interests does he think he is serving: the interests of the world’s diplomatic elite, or the interests of the British people and our national interests? ”
Lamy said that in return for Mauritius having sovereignty over the islands, including Diego Garcia, base operations would remain under British control until the next century. Initially it will be for 99 years, with the UK having the right to extend it.
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The agreement provides the right of return to Chagossians, who Britain expelled from their homeland in the 1960s and 1970s in what has been described as a crime against humanity and one of the most shameful episodes of post-war colonialism. I acknowledge it. “The way Chagossians were forcibly removed in the 1960s was very wrong,” Lamy said.
Asked about the fate of more than 60 Tamil refugees who have been stranded on Diego Garcia for the past three years, Lamy said: “With the signing of the treaty, this is now a Mauritian issue.” .
“Chagossians have a right to be consulted about their homeland, but in practice The government must involve the Chagossians in the negotiations. They cannot abdicate their responsibilities to the Chagossians through negotiations.”
