Keir Starmer opens door to handing back beautiful British-owned island in Mauritius
The government have met with the prime minister of Mauritius to discuss handing back the islands.
The government has said it is ‘too early’ to predict the outcome of negotiations following a meeting with the Mauritian prime minister in July.
It is possible that the Chagos Islands, which are located in the Indian Ocean, may be handed back to Mauritius. They have been owned by Britain since 1814.
Plans to return the islands to Mauritius were set to be dropped last year after opposition.
Baroness Chapman, a Foreign Office minister, said: “The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary met the Mauritian prime minister on July 23 and committed to continuing negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over Chagos Archipelago.
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“It is too early to speculate on timelines or conclusions, but it is the Government’s priority to resolve this long standing and important issue, including ensuring the long-term secure and effective operation of the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.”
Sir Keir Stamer and David Lammy have been warned about the impact that handing over the islands could have.
Jeremy Corbyn, Sir Keir’s predecessor as Labour leader, promised in 2019 to renounce British sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to “right one of the wrongs of history”.
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The ownership of the islands has been disputed for several decades. In 2019, a non-binding International Court of Justice ruling said that Britain’s ownership was unlawful. The United Nations then declared that the control of the islands should be handed back “as rapidly as possible”.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: "The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary met the Mauritian Prime Minister on 23 July and committed to continuing negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory/Chagos Archipelago. It is too early to speculate on timelines or conclusions, but it is the Government's priority to resolve this long standing and important issue, including ensuring the long-term secure and effective operation of the joint UK/US military base on Diego Garcia."
