Starmer’s Chagos deal was universally panned in the UK – unsurprisingly, given its dire terms and obscene cost to working Brits of more than £30 billion. And as Guido revealed, the deal was in fact backed by China – contrary to Starmer’s claims…
One of the biggest problems with Starmer’s decision to reopen the entire Chagos debate and enter into a new set of negotiations was always that the terms would never be enough for Mauritius – its politicians take a maximalist position and have every incentive to bleed Britain dry over the issue. In other words, this was never going to be a fair negotiation. And now, like clockwork, Mauritian politicians are coming back for even more…
The leadership of the Mouvement Socialiste Militant (MSM), one of the opposition parties in the country, has issued a communique essentially saying Starmer’s deal doesn’t go far enough: “The MSM maintains that the question of sovereignty over the entire Chagos Archipelago has been central in the negotiations of the previous government with the British side. The MSM insists that the Mauritian population has a right to the truth and denounces any attempt to muddy the waters.”
The party is demanding answers about whether Britain has a veto over construction on other islands in the Archipelago, and the strength of the ‘Security Review’ and ‘Joint Commission’ process put in place by Starmer’s agreement. In short, the Mauritian government is now under domestic pressure to reopen negotiations and get even more concessions from the UK…
And it’s not just political posturing – the Deputy Prime Minister, Paul Berenger, is a member of the MSM and was involved in the process – and the party leader is the former Prime Minister of Mauritius. Will Starmer rule out any further concessions to Mauritius?
Read the MSM’s statement below:
“The leadership of the MSM has reviewed the Attorney General’s Statement published this Thursday, May 29, 2025, regarding the agreement on the Chagos Archipelago, signed between the Mauritian and British governments on Wednesday, May 22, 2025.
We note that the Attorney General did not provide clarification on the following specific points:
1. Did the Mauritian government grant the British government a veto over any project that could be undertaken on all the islands of the Chagos Archipelago, excluding Diego Garcia, in the agreement signed on May 22, 2025?
2. Has the Mauritian government relinquished the final decision-making power it obtained during a Security Review and agreed that this final decision-making power would be vested in the Joint Commission, which comprises the Mauritian, British, and American parties, in the agreement signed on May 22, 2025?
3. Can the Mauritian government confirm whether the Joint Commission has a veto over the entire Chagos Archipelago and not just the Diego Garcia military base?
4. Can the Mauritian government confirm whether the Joint Commission has the power to make decisions and that its role is not limited to a mere discussion forum.
The MSM maintains that the issue of sovereignty over the entire Chagos Archipelago was central to the previous government’s negotiations with the British side.
The MSM insists that the Mauritian population has a right to the truth and therefore denounces any attempt to cloud the issue.”
FRENCH ORIGINAL
“La direction du Mouvement Socialiste Militant (MSM) a pris connaissance du « Statement » de l’Attorney General publié ce jeudi 29 mais 2025 ayant trait à l’accord portant sur l’archipel des Chagos, signé entre les gouvernements mauricien et britannique le mercredi 22 mai 2025.
Nous notons que l’Attorney General n’a pas apporté d’éclaircissements sur les points spécifiques suivants:
1. Est-ce que le gouvernement mauricien a donné au gouvernement Britannique un droit de véto sur tout projet pouvant être entrepris sur l’ensemble des iles de l’archipel des Chagos, excluant Diego Garcia, dans l’accord signé le 22 mai 2025?
2. Est-ce que le gouvernement mauricien a renoncé au pouvoir décisionnel final qu’il avait obtenu lors d’un Security Review » et a donné son accord pour que ce pouvoir décisionnel final revienne à la Joint Commission» qui comprend les parties mauriciennes, britanniques et américaines, dans l’accord signé le 22 mai 2025?
3. Est-ce que le gouvernement mauricien peut confirmer si la « Joint Commission » a un droit de véto sur l’ensemble de l’archipel des Chagos et non pas sur la base militaire de Diego Garcia uniquement?
4. Est-ce que le gouvernement mauricien peut confirmer si la « Joint Commission » a le pouvoir de prendre des décisions et que son rôle ne se limite pas qu’à un simple forum de discussions.
Le MSM maintient que la question de souveraineté sur l’ensemble de l’archipel des Chagos a été centrale dans les négociations du précédent gouvernement avec la partie britannique.
Le MSM insiste sur le fait que la population mauricienne a droit à la vérité et dénonce ainsi toute tentative de noyer le poisson.”
Sarah Pochin at Reform Scotland’s manifesto launch event: “I really wanted to come on in a Reform tartan burka, but apparently I wasn’t allowed… One day let’s do one of these events not live-streamed. We’ll do all the naughty stuff…”