
Ian Payne 4am - 7am
5 February 2025, 12:52 | Updated: 5 February 2025, 13:10
Keir Starmer has insisted that a deal on the 'legal certainty' of the Chagos Islands is 'vital to national security'.
The government is planning to hand the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius but pay to lease back the US-UK military base on Diego Garcia for 99 years.
It is expected to cost around £90 million a year but there are concerns that the overall price could rise to £18 billion.
Speaking at PMQs, Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said the deal was an "immoral surrender".
"This is money that belongs to our children and their children," she said. "This is an immoral surrender so North London lawyers can boast at their dinner parties."
But Sir Keir was quick to defend the deal, saying: "This is a military base that is vital to our national security."
The government argues that international legal rulings on sovereignty over the archipelago mean the UK has to cede the islands to Mauritius.
"A number of years ago, the legal certainty of that base was thrown into doubt," Sir Keir said on Wednesday.
"Let me be clear, and I'll pick my words carefully, without legal certainty, the base cannot operate in practical terms as it should.
"That is bad for our national security and it's a gift to our adversaries."
Sir Keir pointed out to Ms Badenoch that negotiations on sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory began under the Conservatives and said "some within the party opposite know exactly what I'm talking about".
The secretive base is used by nuclear-capable US bombers and nuclear-powered submarines.
Sir Keir suggested Ms Badenoch had not been fully briefed about the issues and had not requested a briefing on the Chagos Islands from him.
"If the Leader of the Opposition is properly briefed on the national security implications, when she is asking these questions - which she is perfectly entitled to do - then she knows exactly what I am talking about in terms of national security and legal certainty," he said.
"If, on the other hand, she is not properly briefed on the national security implications, she is not doing her job, she's not concerned about national security and she's not fit to be prime minister."
Sir Keir's decision to push ahead with the deal comes despite American concerns over the threat of Chinese influence.
However, Mauritius is one of only two African nations not to have signed up to China’s Belt and Road Initiative and has close ties to India.
Following a call with Prime Minister Ramgoolam of Mauritius last week, a Downing Street spokesperson said: "The prime minister underlined the need for a deal to secure the military base on Diego Garcia that ensures strong protections, including from malign influence, and that will allow the base to continue to operate.
"Both leaders reiterated their commitment to a deal, and they looked forward to speaking again soon."