What is the Chagos Island deal?

UK agreement to cede archipelago to Mauritius in exchange for leasing Diego Garcia base criticised by UN panel, Tories and Chagossians

The Chagos Islands
The UK will pay billions of pounds to continue using a joint US-UK military base in the Chagos Islands
(Image credit: Pictures From History / Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

A UN panel has urged the UK to renegotiate a deal handing control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

As part of the agreement formally signed by Keir Starmer last month, the UK will hand over sovereignty of the archipelago in the Indian Ocean while paying billions of pounds to continue using a joint US-UK military base on the largest island, Diego Garcia, under a 99-year lease.

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