Britain’s government insisted Thursday that it must hand back the Chagos Islands to Mauritius to secure continued access to satellite communications at a key US-UK military base.
The Labour administration is facing domestic political criticism for announcing in October that it would return the isles to Britain’s former colony and pay to lease the facility on Diego Garcia, the largest island.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer says international legal rulings have put Britain’s ownership of the Chagos in doubt and only a deal with Mauritius can guarantee that the base remains functional.
His official spokesman said losing access to the facility “would be bad for our national security, and a gift for our adversaries.”
“For example, the electromagnetic spectrum at the Diego Garcia base would not be able to continue to operate without a deal. This system enables secure communications in the region,” he told reporters.
“It’s something that the UK and the US have currently got unique access to, and it is the case that without legal certainty over the base (it) is something we would lose access to.”
The system is guaranteed and governed by the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations body based in Geneva, and “various companies will be involved in supplying the technology and systems,” the spokesman added.
Britain kept control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence in the 1960s.
The base is leased to the United States and has become one of its key military facilities in the Asia-Pacific.
Washington has used it as a hub for long-range bombers and ships, notably during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Britain evicted thousands of Chagos islanders who have since mounted a series of legal claims for compensation in British courts.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice recommended that Britain hand the archipelago to Mauritius after decades of legal battles.
The deal, which Mauritius has since renegotiated under a new prime minister, would give Britain a 99-year lease of the base, with the option to extend.
The UK government has not denied that the lease would cost the UK 90 million pounds ($111 million) a year.
Both Mauritius and the UK have said US President Donald Trump’s administration will have a say in the final terms of the agreement.
Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam has said his country would pursue its fight for full sovereignty over the islands if Washington refuses to support the deal.
