Chagos handover to Mauritius has a message for China

Britain found itself increasingly isolated as it fought hard to cling on to its claim to the islands.

- Ravi Velloor

Speaking in the House of Commons recently about the announcement that Britain will - finally - hand back sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to its rightful owner, Mauritius, Foreign Secretary David Lammy framed it in terms of respecting international law, partnering with the Global South - and "strengthening our arguments when it comes to issues like Ukraine and the South China Sea".

Prodded by MPs, Mr Lammy went on to admit that "we found ourselves with no one supporting our claim in the family of the United Nations and the rules-based order".

The Conservative MPs badgering him and even responsible national security voices like Rear-Admiral (Ret) Chris Parry, a former Nato commander who described the Keir Starmer government as "surrender monkeys", were, in truth, part of a masquerade.

The previous Conservative government held no fewer than 11 rounds of negotiations on the handover. Indeed, the last one was held just before the UK general election earlier in 2024 which brought Labour to power.

The Starmer government was merely completing the process.

Mr Lammy made it plain that US pressure had a huge role to play in the decision. Washington, he said, was concerned about the legal uncertainty and had pressured London to strike a deal.

"I am a transatlanticist. We had to protect this important relationship."

What's going on here? Is it, as the British opposition would like to make out, a surrender of a vital outpost of empire? A yielding of prize ground that could one day lead to a potential Chinese expansion of influence in the western Indian Ocean?

THE BACKSTORY Not at all. Before explaining why that is so, here's a recap of the recent developments, starting with the announcement, earlier in October, that Britain would return its last colony in Africa to Mauritius.