How much will Chagos deal cost?
Politicians usually like big numbers. But when Sir Keir Starmer announced his deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, he chose to use a different approach.
The prime minister said that the cost of the deal to lease back Diego Garcia, the home of a US-UK naval base, was £3.4 billion. But the Tories had a very different figure, and put the cost at closer to £30 billion. Who is right?
The answer is that both. Given the political furore surrounding the deal the prime minister had a clear vested interest in putting out a smaller figure.
The optics of Chagos are difficult. Britain is essentially paying to lease back something it previously owned. It is paying money while giving something
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