Starmer Signs Chagos Deal After High Court Lifts Temporary Block On Agreement

Keir Starmer has just officially signed the deal to hand the Chagos Islands over to Mauritius after the High Court lifted a temporary block on the agreement.

The long-awaited deal briefly hit an obstacle this morning after a last-minute court injunction, issued at 2.25am overnight, meant ministers were banned from concluding the agreement.

But, a new hearing held at lunchtime saw High Court judge Mr Justice Chamberlain ruled in the government’s favour and decided that the injunction should be discharged.

He said: “I have concluded that the stay granted by Mr Justice Goose should be discharged and there should be no further interim relief.”

He added: “The public interest and the interests of the United Kingdom would be substantially prejudiced by the grant or continuance of interim relief, and these matters provide a strong public interest reason against the continuance of interim relief.”

At a news briefing this afternoon, the prime minister confirmed he had signed the agreement.

Starmer said: “Other approaches to secure the base have been tried over the years, and they have failed. 

“Boris Johnson failed in his efforts to endlessly delay. 

“Liz Truss then started the negotiations. 

“We inherited a negotiation in which the principle of giving up UK sovereignty had already been conceded by the previous Tory government. 

It comes after months of wrangling from the government as they tried to get the deal to hand the archipelago’s sovereignty over to Mauritius.

The deal will still allow the UK and the US to continue using their military base at the cost of £101 million per year over a 99-year period – meaning the total sum will come to £3.4billion.

The agreement attracted plenty of backlash, with the Conservative Party calling dubbed the agreement as a “surrender” – despite initiating the talks themselves when in government.

Before the High Court discharged the injunction, the prime minister’s spokesman told reporters that any attempt to hold up the agreement was a “threat to national security” this morning.

A government spokesperson then welcomed the lifting of the blockade this afternoon, and said the agreement was “vital to protect the British people and our national security”.

The legal challenge brought against the Foreign Office had been presented by two Chagossian women, Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrice Pompe, who were born on Chagos’ largest island, Diergo Garcia.

They fear what the deal will mean for their ability to return and their lawyer warned they had not been able to give a say in the future of their islands.

They also expressed fears Mauritius would not treat Chagossians fairly.

But Mr Justice Chamberlain refused a request to halt proceedings in order to allow an appeal to go through.

He said: “The order is discharged from this point onwards. If you want to seek any further relief you will have to go to the Court of Appeal.”