British MP: Chagos Islands should be sold to the US not ‘corrupt Mauritius’

In a heated exchange in the House of Commons, Nigel Farage expressed his bold stance on sovereignty over the Chagos Islands. The Reform UK leader declared his preference for handing control of the British Indian Ocean Territory to the United States rather than to what he termed “corrupt Mauritius”.

During a crucial debate concerning the fate of these islands, Mr Farage lamented that the UK government seems intent on ceding this territory as a result of “post-colonial guilt.”

“So why are we doing it? Why? Well, I guess, of course, post-colonial guilt, a government run by human rights lawyers.”

The Clacton MP went further, insisting the UK should sell the Chagos Islands to the US for “a few billion quid” instead of relinquishing them to Mauritius.

He stated: “Mauritius has no legal basis, no legal claim. And you know what? Investment would come, the Chagossians could go back and get well-paid jobs.”

Mr Farage stressing that giving away Chagos would jeopardise global security and ignore the expressed wishes of the majority of the Chagossian people.

“If that’s the case,” he continued, “I would rather see America have the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands than a corrupt Mauritius.”

In response, Foreign Office Minister Anneliese Dodds emphasised the government’s position, asserting that without a deal, a legally-binding international judgment against UK sovereignty over the Chagos Islands would be “inevitable”.

She underscored the importance of reaching an agreement, claiming it would secure the operation of the critical military base on Diego Garcia for the foreseeable future.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel weighed in with caution, warning that Britain’s adversaries might be “rubbing their hands with glee” at the uncertainty surrounding the UK-US military base.

She raised serious concerns about the ramifications should the lease to Mauritius become contentious, questioning what would happen if the price for an extension became untenable.

“What if, at the end of 99 years, the price that Mauritius asks is too high? If we cannot unilaterally extend the lease, then guess what? We’ve lost control,” she warned.

Dame Priti further challenged the government’s approach, saying:

“It’s not the Conservative Party that’s putting forward a surrender deal. We’re not surrendering our territory or sovereignty in any way whatsoever.”

In a bid for greater transparency, she moved a motion in the Commons demanding the release of a timeline detailing the negotiations between the UK Government and Mauritius since July 4 of the previous year.

She demanded clarity on the deal’s funding, the involvement of Attorney General Lord Hermer, and the motivations behind the accelerated negotiations.

MPs rejected the Conservative motion, with a tally of 298 to 147, a majority of 151, signalling a significant split over the handling of the sensitive negotiations surrounding the Chagos Islands.

Source: MSN