Peers strike blow against Starmer's Chagos deal with controversial amendment backed
The UK has agreed to pay Mauritius at least £120 million annually during the 99-year agreement to lease back the site
Sir Keir Starmer's controversial handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has been dealt a blow after peers backed an amendment suggested by former military chiefs.
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The House of Lords backed by 132 votes to 124, majority eight, a demand that payments linked to the contentious transfer deal would cease if the military base on Diego Garcia could no longer be used.
The UK has agreed to pay Mauritius at least £120 million annually during the 99-year agreement to lease back the site, a total cost in cash terms of at least £13 billion.
The Government, however, estimates the bill will be lower at around £101 million a year while critics argue it will be much higher.
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Lord Craig of Radley, a cross-bench peer who tabled the amendment, said the issue needs to be sorted out before the deal is formerly ratified.
Baroness Chapman, a Foreign Office minister, said the UK and US felt “opening up circumstances in which we raise the possibility of the agreement with Mauritius being terminated early isn’t helpful”.
She added that international Law of Treaties allows for the “termination” of an agreement “when it becomes impossible” for it to be performed as a result of “permanent disappearance or destruction of an object indispensable for the execution of that treaty”.
Sir Keir signed the deal in May, declaring that it was the only way to adequately protect Diego Garcia base from other countries’ influence, such as China.
James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, told The Telegraph: “Labour’s crazy Chagos deal is a triple whammy of harm – terrible for UK taxpayers, bad for national security, and damaging to the environment.
“Now the Government have just lost a crucial vote in the House of Lords. This very sensible amendment from a former chief of the defence staff received cross party support and would prevent the UK from continuing payments to Mauritius in circumstances where the military base were to be inoperable.
“Now Starmer should perform yet another U-turn and scrap the bill entirely.”