Long-awaited Chagos Islands deal set to be signed by Starmer

The prime minister is due to attend a virtual handover ceremony with Mauritian officials on Thursday, according to reports

Sir Keir Starmer is set to sign off on the long-awaited Chagos Islands deal and hand them over to Mauritius.

It is understood that the official agreement will be made on Thursday, after several weeks in which it appeared to be on hold over political difficulties.

The government has argued that it has to give up sovereignty over the islands, also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, due to international legal rulings in favour of Mauritius.

The prime minister is due to attend a virtual ceremony alongside representatives from the Mauritian government on Thursday morning to sign off on the deal, according to The Telegraph.

It is understood that the official agreement will be made on Thursday (PA Media)

Under the terms of the deal, Britain is expected to give up sovereignty of the island territory to Mauritius and lease back a crucial military base on the archipelago for 99 years.

Following the signing ceremony, MPs will be updated on the terms of the deal in the House of Commons, which could include a 40-year extension to the lease of the military base, the Telegraph said.

Diego Garcia, the largest of the Chagos Islands, is home to a joint UK-US military base, used to project Western influence in the Indian Ocean.

Critics of proposals to hand over the islands to Mauritius fear the move will benefit China, which has a growing reach in the region.

News reports recently suggested the deal had been delayed, with The Times claiming it had become “toxic” amid criticism from Labour’s political opponents.

The Conservatives are among those who have criticised Labour’s handling of the negotiations, although they began discussing the handover with Mauritius when they were in power.

Speaking in the House of Commons just this week, defence secretary John Healey insisted the base on Diego Garcia was “essential to our security” and the UK’s security relationship with the US.

“We’ve had to act, as the previous government started to do, to deal with that jeopardy. We’re completing those arrangements and we’ll report to the House when we can,” he said.