Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure to hit the pause on the government’s recent deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after UN human rights experts blasted the agreement for ignoring the voices and rights of the Chagossian people.
The deal, struck just last month after years of talks, transfers sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius but allows the UK to lease back the military base on Diego Garcia — the largest island in the group — for at least 99 years. While the government insists the agreement is a win for diplomacy and defence, it’s now under serious scrutiny.
