Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will need to decide about the future of the Chagos Islands. (Image: GETTY)
Britain’s centuries-old sovereignty of the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar will be undermined if new Foreign Secretary David Lammy turns his back on a remote archipelago in the Indian Ocean, ex-minister Sir Robert Buckland has claimed.
The Chagos Islands, officially known as the British Indian Ocean Territory or BIOT, consists of a group of seven atolls comprising about 60 islands, located roughly 300 miles from the Maldives.
The largest island, Diego Garcia, is home to a strategically important British military base currently leased by the United States.
However, Mauritius, more than 1,300 miles to the southwest, continues to press its claim on the islands, backed by the International Court of Justice in an advisory opinion published in 2019.
Earlier this year Tory MP Henry Smith suggested a future Labour Government might bow to the international pressure and, speaking this week after Labour’s victory on July 4, Sir Robert reiterated such concerns.
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Former Lord High Chancellor Sir Robert Buckland. (Image: PA)
The former Lord High Chancellor, who wrote the foreword for a report published by the Policy Exchange on the subject, also earlier this year, told Express.co.uk: “I think it matters strategically.
“There’s one thing I think first of all about challenging the veracity of Mauritius’s claim.
“That’s something we’ve argued about and I was closely involved in it.
“But there’s a more fundamental issue here with the rise of China and the geopolitical reality of what that means for our security.
The former Lord High Chancellor, who wrote the foreword for a report published by the Policy Exchange on the subject, also earlier this year, told Express.co.uk: “I think it matters strategically.
“There’s one thing I think first of all about challenging the veracity of Mauritius’s claim.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy (Image: Getty)
“That’s something we’ve argued about and I was closely involved in it.
“But there’s a more fundamental issue here with the rise of China and the geopolitical reality of what that means for our security.
“A continued UK and therefore, US presence in the Chagos archipelago is an essential part of that defensive security network.
“Anything that endangers or reduces the resolve of the UK and the US in that region is potentially damaging. And that’s why I think it is strategically important that we continue to assert our claim.”
In remarks squarely aimed at the new Foreign Secretary, Sir Robert said: “I certainly hope David Lammy will have a view about it is strong and resolute, otherwise I’m afraid we’re going to be sending mixed messages which I think could be damaging to our long term interests.”
Five years ago the ICJ concluded that the islands “form an integral part of the territory of Mauritius”, backing what it referred to as its “decolonisation”.
Diego Garcia is home to a military base leased by the US from the UK (Image: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
However, Sir Robert, who pointed out that the opinion was not legally binding on Britain, pointed out that any move to comply could have consequences far beyond the archipelago itself.
He said: “Once you start using words like partial decolonisation and referring to Britain’s role as a colonial power, then you’re immediately ceding ground, both literally and metaphorically.
“Let’s not forget these overseas territories, like the Falkland Islands, have very clearly exercised their wishes to stay British, and the same for Gibraltar.
“What we are doing is respecting self-determination, which surely has to be the central tenet of any decision about whether or not Britain retains its overseas territories, and we’ve always respected the rights to self-determination.
“If the popular vote was to turn around and say you know what we want to go on our own Britain would respect that. But that’s not the case.
”The assertion by Mauritius, which is itself frankly rather geographically remote from the Chagos Islands, that it is now the owner is not self-determination is nowhere near it, and that’s why Britain needs to stand firm on this.”
Concerning Mauritius’s claim, Sir Robert continued: “We’ve got to be clear-eyed about this and realistic.
“If we just sort of meekly cede ownership of the island, what does that mean for the long-term interests of not just the UK and America but India and also other Indo-Pacific countries that rightly are worried about the rise of China and the way in which China is using his economic might to buy influence?
“You see the Chinese investment in Sri Lanka, not a million miles away, and Mauritius itself.
“It’s all part of their strategic long-term plan. It’s naive, I think, for us to pretend anything other than the fact that China is developing its presence and therefore, there needs to be a counterbalance.”
An FCDO spokesperson said: “The UK is committed to resolving this long-standing and important issue and looks forward to engaging with Mauritius on next steps.
“Any outcome must ensure the long term and effective operation of the joint UK/US military base on Diego Garcia.”