The UK government has dismissed claims by Mauritius’ prime minister that it will pay billions more under a renegotiated Chagos Islands deal. Last October, under Tory leadership, the UK agreed to cede sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius while retaining a 99-year lease on the Diego Garcia atoll, which hosts a UK-US military base. However, following Mauritius’s election of a new prime minister, negotiations were reopened amid proposals to link lease payments to inflation and require higher upfront sums. Subsequently, a Times publication suggested that the UK government could see its payments to Mauritius rise from £9bn to £18bn. The UK Foreign Office has dismissed these claims and critics, including opposition figures, have denounced the deal as opaque and excessively costly. Meanwhile, consultations with the new US administration have further stalled progress, with concerns over security implications and broader diplomatic fallout adding to the controversy.
Source: BBC
