Chagos Islands Statement

The unnecessarily secretive and chaotic handling of the Chagos Islands agreement with Mauritius is the product of incompetence of the Conservatives who took the deal to the cusp of sign-off, though the Labour government has been no less culpable in my view.

That the Conservatives have dared to criticise the present government is astonishing, though not surprising.

As someone who has campaigned for years for the rights Chagossians who were deported from their island and homes in the 1960s and 70s, I’m shocked that the agreement has entirely disregarded proper consideration for them. Many will rightly ask why the Government has been so willing to make substantial financial commitments to Mauritius while essential support for our most vulnerable, such as disability allowance payments, has been slashed.

The government must now set out a clear timetable for when Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise and vote on this agreement. As it stands, there are serious questions about the financial and national security implications that remain unanswered.

As you may be aware, I was the first to ask the – to me – obvious question, about how much the US would be contributing to the compensatory package to Mauritius, given that the primary focus of our interest and our future intentions for the islands are in respect of Diego Garcia, which is primarily used as a US military base. My question to Stephen Doughty MP, Minister for Overseas Territories, and his response, can be found here:
Chagos Islands Question – Hansard.

Liberal Democrats support the UK complying with international law, but the process for agreeing this deal has been unimpressive. While the Conservatives feigned anger, their Foreign Secretary is largely responsible for the weaknesses and failings in this agreement. The Labour Government has equally failed to provide clarity on what this deal amounts to and to explain why it’s value for money.