Political commentator Alex Deane has sharply criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer's recent decision to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, labelling it a "betrayal" of the Chagossian people.
Speaking on GB News, Deane described how Chagossians' last-minute intervention in the High Court was effectively dismissed as the Government pushed through the transfer agreement.
The UK signed a deal on Thursday to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, with Britain agreeing to lease back the strategically important Diego Garcia military base for £101 million annually.
The agreement formally cedes British control of the Chagos Archipelago to the Mauritian government. Under the terms of the agreement, Mauritius will lease the Diego Garcia base back to Britain and the United States, which both consider it vital to security interests.
Alex Deane labelled it a "betrayal" of the Chagossian people.
GB NEWS
Political commentator Alex Deane told GB News: "The Labour Party again, and at the last moment, which is what must have given them hope, they intervened in the High Court and the government argued successfully, as it turned out, that their intervention was too late.
"And this was a timely manner in which the governments might not be able to sign if they didn't sign.
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"Now, as if Keir Starmer is going to change his mind in a week or two to allow the debate about the right to return to their homeland, as if the magicians are going to change their mind about getting this enormous amount of money.
"So I thought that it was a very low thing for the government to do, even if even disregarding the broader principles.
"If you think the Chagos Islands should go to Mauritius for whatever reason, very hard to work out if you're the British Prime Minister whose responsibilities are to the UK, just generally, why not ask?
"The Chagos Islands and their intervention in the High Court was the most sad thing, because in the end, they just got laughed off, as far as I can tell."
Under the terms of the agreement, Mauritius will lease the Diego Garcia base back to Britain and the United States, which both consider it vital to security interests.
The deal comes after years of international pressure on Britain to relinquish control of the territory, which it has held since the colonial era.
The signing proceeded after a dramatic legal challenge. An injunction was filed at 2.30am on Thursday morning in a last-minute attempt to block the handover. However, a High Court judge overturned the injunction later that afternoon, allowing the agreement to move forward.
Deane criticised the Government's response to the Chagossians' legal intervention, saying: "At the last moment, which is what must have given them hope, they intervened in the High Court and the government argued successfully, as it turned out, that their intervention was too late."
The Chagos Islands deal was signed yesterday GettyCampaigners behind the legal challenge have described the outcome as "a very, very sad day."
Starmer defended the agreement, stating that the deal is "of the utmost significance to Britain."
He explained that the full rationale behind the decision remains "highly classified," but noted that failure to reach a settlement could have led to serious consequences.
According to Starmer, without this agreement, Mauritius could have pursued legal action in international courts where Britain was "likely to lose," potentially facing additional penalties beyond the current arrangement.
