Keir Starmer’s Chagos deal in trouble as UN committee reveals ‘deep concern’

Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to rethink his controversial Chagos Islands treaty in a last-minute act of intervention by the United Nations (UN). The Government signed a treaty in May to return sovereignty of the archipelago to Mauritius, which will also see Britain lease back the strategically important military base on Diego Garcia.

The contentious deal has been branded a “betrayal” by critics worried about its security implications and financial cost, with the UK agreeing to pay Mauritius at least £120 million annually during the 99-year Diego Garcia agreement – although Labour estimates the bill will amount to a lesser £101 million a year, and critics argue it could be much higher.

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has now waded into the debate to express “deep concern” at the terms of the treaty, and its impact on Chagossian people, who could be “explicitly prevented” from returning to “their ancestral lands” on Diego Garcia. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in 2019 that the continued separation of the Chagos Islands from Marutitus violated Chagossians’ right to self-determination, and the UN has also previously called for decolonisation of the entire archipelago.

In a report published this week, the UN committee said Sir Keir’s treaty is “inconsistent with the UN General Assembly resolution” and prevents Chagossian people from “exercising their cultural rights and preserving their cultural heritage”, Sky News reports.

The UK was also criticised for failing to consult Chagossians on the deal or offering full reparations or acknowledgement of “past injustices”.

The fresh hurdle to Labour’s Bill has renewed backlash from opposition politicians including the Conservatives, who attemped to amend the legislation to include a 30-day consultation with the Chagossian community before it went to committee stage last month.

Fears over losing sovereignty of the key UK-US Indian Ocean location in the House of Commons have primarily centred on the financial burden and China’s potential security threat to the UK, however.

Mauritius has a strong and enduring strategic partnership with China, signing a landmark Free Trade Agreement in 2019 and with Beijing funding major national projects including dams, sport complexes and broadcast centres.

Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel told Sky: “Keir Starmer is desperate to kowtow to China at every opportunity – so much so, he is handing over British sovereign territory and £35 billion of taxpayers’ cash to a Beijing ally.

“In forcing through this Chagos surrender, he has ignored the Chagossians. And now the UN has called him out for it.

“Starmer prides himself on international law and human rights, so will he now halt ratification of the deal as the UN calls for? Or will he try to bulldoze through all opposition and trample on Chagossians once again to win favour from [Chinese President] Xi Jinping?”

A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: “We recognise the importance of the islands to Chagossians. Under the treaty, Mauritius will be able to develop a programme of resettlement to islands other than Diego Garcia, and the UK has separately committed to support heritage visits to the archipelago, including Diego Garcia.”