Starmer’s Chagos Islands Agreement Potentially Costs MoD 100+ Millions

The decision by Sir Keir Starmer to transfer control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius raises concerns about significant financial implications for the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD). The Chagos Islands include the strategically vital Diego Garcia military base, which is utilized by both the British and American armed forces.

As part of this agreement, once the islands are ceded to Mauritius, the UK will need to negotiate a lease to retain access to the Diego Garcia base.

This lease will be funded from the MoD’s budget, which is already responsible for covering operational costs for various overseas British military installations, including bases in Cyprus and Gibraltar.

Ministers have not disclosed the anticipated costs associated with maintaining the Diego Garcia base under this new arrangement.

The base plays a critical role for the US military, supporting long-range aircraft and naval operations.

The lack of transparency regarding the financial commitments raises concerns about the potential strain on the MoD’s budget, which could amount to hundreds of millions of pounds.

Read an expanded article on the following link Telegraph