What is the Chagos Deal?

Government's agreement to cede the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius provokes great controversy

Aerial shot of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) or Chagos Islands, surrounded by ocean
The Tories have come out strongly against the plan, while the US effectively has a veto on it due to its strategic military base on one of the islands
(Image credit: Pictures From History / Universal Images Group / Getty Images)

Britain is preparing to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after Donald Trump signed off the controversial deal earlier this month.

The agreement will see the UK give up control over 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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