Furious Conservative MPs have accused Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer of keeping British taxpayers “in the dark” over the cost of a controversial deal to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Richard Holden criticized Starmer’s failure to disclose how much the UK would pay Mauritius for the islands, which are home to a strategically vital UK-US military base.
Under the current government’s plans, the UK will lease the base back from Mauritius for 99 years at a potential cost of up to £90 million per year. However, Downing Street has refused to confirm the exact amount or clarify whether the money will come from the defence budget, further fueling tensions over the deal, as reported by the Express.
Holden lashed out, saying: “They are not being transparent with the UK public over costings. The government really needs to be upfront about these important issues.” He added that the Government of Mauritius had disclosed more details about the deal than the British government, stating, “How can we have negotiations with one side broadcasting it on the international media, and on the other side we are just told to be good little boys and keep quiet and wait in the dark?”
Holden also insisted, “This is British territory… the government should be coming forward over these issues.” Despite the mounting criticism, Science Secretary Peter Kyle insisted that the deal would not be reversed. However, he also suggested that US President Donald Trump could play a pivotal role in the negotiations, stating that it would be “very, very odd” for the UK to act “unilaterally” in the matter.
Kyle explained: “The Chagos Islands have always been a military base for the UK and the US,” underscoring the importance of the bilateral relationship between the two countries. “It would be very, very odd if we acted unilaterally when it has always been a bilateral arrangement which has been pivoted into the Chagos Islands.”
His comments come in response to earlier remarks by Labour MP David Lammy, who indicated that the deal would not go ahead without the approval of President Trump. The ongoing debate over the Chagos Islands deal continues to highlight divisions within both the UK government and the Labour Party, with questions surrounding transparency and the involvement of the US in British foreign policy.
