A senior US senator has strongly criticized Sir Keir Starmer’s agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, calling it a “dangerous surrender” that jeopardizes Western security interests in the Indian Ocean. Jim Risch, the Republican chair of the Senate’s foreign relations committee and a close ally of Donald Trump, has warned that this move poses an “unneeded risk to our military position” and could allow China to gain greater insight into US activities at Diego Garcia, the crucial American naval base on the largest island in the archipelago.  

 

 

“Ceding ground to China is dangerous surrender, and the US and the UK need to work together to push back on this,” Risch stated during a visit to London, speaking at the think tank Policy Exchange. “While this is ultimately a British decision, retaining sovereign control over Diego Garcia is imperative for our collective security.”  

 

The Trump administration is currently reviewing the deal ahead of Starmer’s upcoming visit to Washington DC. Several high-profile Republicans, including Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, and Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser, have publicly voiced their concerns. However, with the White House currently focused on Ukraine negotiations and efforts to broker a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the Chagos Islands have not yet become a top priority.  

 

Risch, who was recently invited by Trump to celebrate the release of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel from Russian detention, emphasized the strategic importance of Diego Garcia. “Diego Garcia plays an indispensable role in helping all of us deter Chinese aggression,” he said. “I’m concerned that the decision to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius creates unneeded risk to our military position in the Indian Ocean and will allow [the] Chinese to gain greater insight into our activities at Diego Garcia. We understand that the government has put measures in place to limit the Chinese navy’s ability to encroach upon Diego Garcia, but it isn’t just about the Chinese navy. We are equally worried about collection activities conducted by China’s commercial — so-called commercial — and oceanographic spy vessels.”  

 

Beyond the Chagos issue, Risch also criticized Britain’s military capabilities, arguing that “the British military is too small” to meet current security challenges. His concerns were echoed by HR McMaster, Trump’s former national security adviser, who recalled working on the Chagos issue during the first Trump administration and described the deal as a “travesty.” “This would put us at a significant strategic disadvantage,” McMaster said.  

 

Policy Exchange has blamed the Chagos deal on what it describes as a “hyper-legalist” and “flawed” approach to international law led by Attorney General Lord Hermer. The 2019 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ruled 13-1 in favor of Mauritius’ claim over the islands, has played a significant role in Britain’s decision to proceed with the handover. The lone dissenting judge was American, while the majority included a Russian and a Chinese judge.  

 

Starmer has argued that the ICJ ruling created legal uncertainty that threatened the future of Diego Garcia. His plan involves leasing the base from Mauritius for £90 million annually, with the payment increasing over 99 years in line with inflation. However, critics believe this concession was unnecessary.  

 

Stephen Doughty, a foreign office minister, recently defended the decision, writing in *The Times* that Britain had to finalize a deal before Mauritius secured a binding ICJ ruling. He warned that such a judgment could have “serious real-world operational impacts,” including potential consequences from UN bodies such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which controls electromagnetic spectrum allocations, and the International Civil Aviation Organisation, which regulates airspace.  

 

However, Tom Tugendhat, the former UK security minister, dismissed these concerns, stating that the ITU had “absolutely no authority to interfere in — let alone shut down — our satellite facilities on Diego Garcia.” He argued that the real threat to the base came not from international legal bodies but from the UK government’s own willingness to concede to Mauritius. “The main threat to the future of our military base in the Indian Ocean is not some unilateral punitive action of an international body. It is simply the government’s distorted interpretation of the UK’s legal obligations and its willingness to surrender meekly to a Mauritian shakedown,” he said.  

 

Richard Ekins KC, co-author of the Policy Exchange report, also criticized the UK government, stating that it was “failing to defend the UK’s legal rights.” “The government’s attempts to rationalize its surrender of a vital strategic asset betray a damaging hyper-legalist disposition. No international court can force the UK to cede the Chagos and no responsible government should pretend that its hands are tied,” he said.  

 

The report suggests that the controversial guidance issued by Hermer to government lawyers last year may be a key factor behind the Chagos deal. His directive advised legal teams to assess “the likelihood of a legal challenge being successful” even if a case never reached court. The report describes this approach as “badly misguided,” arguing that any legal advice based on it is “worse than useless.”  

 

“As long as the UK does not accept the jurisdiction of the ICJ over the Chagos sovereignty dispute, the prospects of a binding judgment against Britain are non-existent,” the report concludes.

 

Based on a report by The Times  2025-02-19

 

 

Britain is the poor man of Europe. It can't afford to hang on to Chagos.

A threat to American hegemony not security.

All the gear Keir sell it to Putin then the orange one will have his new best mate in the Indian ocean 

The days of British Empire are over

The new Global Britain is a  non starter 

The country is broke 😱

How dare the Americans criticize sir Kier's surrender of British territory to military superpowers Mauritius and China. 

I bet the Brits wish they had a DOGE to unravel this nuts decision to surrender. There must be some reason beyond virtue signalling?

DG has almost as much annual rainfall as UK. I don't see too many US Navy ships tying up alongside 'though.😋

1 hour ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

There must be some reason beyond virtue signalling?

 

Indeed. There must be.

 

Can't imagine what it could be. 😄

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/02/16/pravind-jugnauth-arrested-mauritius-chagos-deal-probe/

 

Very strange that successive British governments are negotiating to reward Mauritius, over a thousand miles distant from the Chagos islands, if latter agrees to a leasehold type deal for Diego Garcia. Surely any negotiation should be with the Chagosian people ?

On 2/19/2025 at 2:08 AM, PETERTHEEATER said:

DG has almost as much annual rainfall as UK. I don't see too many US Navy ships tying up alongside 'though.😋

might be a reason for that.