A growing controversy surrounds Labour’s proposed plan to hand over the strategic Chagos Islands to Mauritius, an ally of China, which never controlled the territory in the first place. The Chagos Islands, which include Diego Garcia, host a critical UK-US military base, and the deal put forward by Sir Keir Starmer includes a long lease on the base. However, this move has raised serious concerns over the potential for Beijing to spy on the base, given Mauritius’ strong ties to China.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is the latest to criticize the proposed deal, stating that he would rather see the British territory sold to the United States than handed over to Mauritius. Even Foreign Secretary David Lammy has acknowledged that Washington has a veto over the deal, showing that the situation is far from straightforward, reported the Express.
