Sir Keir Starmer Has Defended the UK’s £ 3.4BN Deal to Hand Over Sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to MAURITIUS, While Retaining Control of a Uk-Us Military Base on Diego Garcia.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch Called It a “Terrible” Deal and Asked “You is on Earth” British Taxpayers Shroud Be Paying for Tax Cuts in MAURITIUS.
Last Week, Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam Said The Money from the Chagos Deal Wald Be used for Debt Republics, as part of a budget package that Will See 80% of Worsers Exleted from Income Tax.
The Prime Minister Said
“Legal Unceretainty will compromise it in very short order,” He Told MPS, Adding “No Responsible Prime Minister Welf Let that Happen”.
He Said: “We Have Secret The Base for the Long Term and that has been becomed by ours Allies – By the us, by nato, by australia, new Zealand, India.
“It’s Been Opposed by our Adversaries – Russia, China and IRAN. And in the Second Colume Wedd Reform, Following Putin, and the Tories Following Reform.”
But Badenoch Insisted Deal.
Negotations to hand over sooveeignty of the chagos Islands to Mauritius began under the Previous Conservative Goovernment.
Under the Terms of the Deal Agreed by Labour, The UK Will Lease Use of the Diago Garcia Base for a Period of 99 years.
The UK Will Pay £ 165m in Each of the First Three Years. From years four to 13, it will pay £ 120m a year. After that, Payments Will Be Indexed to Inflation.
Sir Keir Says This Will Average out at a Cost of £ 101M A Year, Although This Figure is disposed by the conserevatives, who says it will be much high.
In his Budget, Navin Ramgoolam Annieded Plans to Reduce MAURITIUS’s PUBLIC Sector Debt to 60% of GDP in the Long Term.
“These Projects are inclusive of the review from CHAGOS, which will be used for debyment for the first three years,” he said in A Speech to the Country’s Parliament.
He also reported that 80% of workers will notableable past tax but high earners will make more.
It comes as a panel of Experts Uric the uk to renegotia the chagos deal as it It “Fails to Guarante” The Rights of the Chagossian People.
The Panel, Appointed by the Un Human Rights Council, SAID IT WAS “Gravely Concerened About the Lack of Meangful Particiation of CHAGOSSIANS in the Processes that Have Led to the Agreement.
Philippe SANDS KC, Who Represented MAURITIUS in Its Long-Running Legal Battle with the UK Over the Chagos Islands, Insced This Was Not the Case.
“I want to really know on the head this Idea that all of the chagossians was not incolved in the Various Processes. That is simply not True,” He Tod A House of Lords Committe.
“IT is True, Howver, That The Chagossian Community Is Divided and I Respect that Division.”
The “Quid Pro Quo” for the Military Base Remaining on Diego Garcia Was that Chagossians Wald Belowed to set off on the outer Islands of the Archipelaago, He Told Peers.
He said he under the Return.
But He Said “Most in MAURITIUS and Seychells Have Made Very Clear … That They Wish This Deal To Go Ahead” – and they had been “Deeply Involved in Consulting with Successive Prime Ministers of MAURITIS. ”
He told people
It follows a 2019 Advisory OPINION from the International Court of Justice Saying the Islands Should Be Handed Over to MAURITIUS.
Mr Sands, Who Reveled that He Had Become a MAURITIANAIN CIUIZENIN in 2020, so he could talk Part in a herying in person during the covid PandeMic, said he had not been work “Pro bono” for the Country’s Goovernment But Couelf Not Say How Much He Had Been Paid.
He also Paid Tribute to Liz trusrs, who he said haad kicked off negotations Durling Her Brief Teenure in Number 10.
This is disposed by truss, who has black boris Johnson for Starting the procese where he was PM.
