Can Labour be trusted on foreign policy? Or will it let post-imperial hand-wringing outweigh the national interest? One litmus test will be how it handles the Chagos Islands territory, which has been in Britain’s hands since 1814.
The islands occupy a strategic position in the northwestern Indian Ocean. The largest island is Diego Garcia, which is leased to the US and has been one of its main military bases for the past half century. Diego Garcia has played a major role in many conflicts, including those in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Mauritius, independent since 1968, however, claims sovereignty over the Chagos Islands. Last year, then-Defence Secretary Grant Shapps thwarted a Foreign Office plan to transfer sovereignty to Mauritius in exchange for a “Cyprus solution”. Shades of the Falklands?
Now it has emerged that the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have reopened talks with the Mauritians, casting doubt on British resolve. It would be an understatement to say that our American allies would not welcome a transfer of sovereignty to Mauritius, which is closely linked to China. Beijing has funded the development of Mauritius as part of its expansion of influence in Africa. With Sino-American tensions rising in Taiwan and the East China Sea, any potential threat to the US base at Diego Garcia would be taken very seriously in Washington.
No British government can afford to jeopardize the special relationship. But Sir Keir Starmer and David Lammy, who show an undue deference to foreign courts, are no doubt concerned by a non-binding 2019 ruling by the International Court of Justice that found British sovereignty over the Chagos Islands unlawful. Predictably, the UN General Assembly followed suit. No less predictably, then-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (then Sir Keir’s boss) promised to “right one of history’s wrongs” by giving away the islands.
This is a chance for Sir Keir to distance himself from the Corbyn legacy. He and Mr Lammy should vigorously defend Anglo-American interests, and not pander to the global post-colonial debt industry. The Chagos Islands are legally British and should remain so – forever.
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