The government has just announced that it is handing sovereignty of the Chagos Islands away to Mauritius. Confirming long-held fears that the British strategic interests were to be trumped by progressive waffle…

The joint announcement states:

“Under the terms of this treaty the United Kingdom will agree that Mauritius is sovereign over the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia. At the same time, both our countries are committed to the need, and will agree in the treaty, to ensure the long-term, secure and effective operation of the existing base on Diego Garcia which plays a vital role in regional and global security.  For an initial period of 99 years, the United Kingdom will be authorised to exercise with respect to Diego Garcia the sovereign rights and authorities of Mauritius required to ensure the continued operation of the base well into the next century.”

The Chagos Islands are 2,152 kilometres away from Mauritius itself and have belonged to the UK since 1810. They have never belonged to Mauritius. There goes vital strategic access to the Indian and Pacific Oceans…

Despite claiming that the agreement secures the use of the US military base on Diego Garcia there’s no getting away from the fact that the government has now agreed to hand over a UK/US military asset to a firmly China-aligned country. Massively harming UK interests – you can hear the cheering in Beijing from SW1…