UN urges UK to negotiate new Chagos deal that allows islanders to return
But a panel of experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said retaining the base and continuing to bar Chagossians from Diego Garcia 'appears to be at variance with the Chagossians' right to return'.
The Chagossians were expelled from the islands between 1965 and 1973 to make way for the joint UK-US base and have not been allowed to return.
Although the UK-Mauritius deal includes a £40 million trust fund for the benefit of the Chagossians, the UN experts expressed concern that this would not provide an 'effective remedy' for the islanders.
They also criticised an apparent lack of consultation of the islanders prior to the deal, saying: 'We are gravely concerned about the lack of meaningful participation of Chagossians in processes that have led to the agreement.'
The experts added: 'In light of these significant concerns, we call for the ratification of the agreement to be suspended and for a new agreement to be negotiated that fully guarantees the rights of the Chagossian people to return to all islands of the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia.'
Conservative shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel urged the Government to 'do the right thing (and) stop this'.
She said: 'We have been warning from the start that this deal is bad for British taxpayers and bad for the Chagossian people.
'Now even the United Nations is saying the very same.
'Labour has completely ignored this community from the get-go, and failed to consult with them at every step of the way.
'It is why I have introduced a Bill in Parliament that would block the (agreement) and force the Government to speak to the people at the heart of their surrender plans.'
The deal follows a 2019 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice saying the islands should be handed over to Mauritius.
As well as the fund for Chagossians, the UK has agreed to pay at least £120 million a year for 99 years in order to lease back the Diego Garcia base – a total cost of at least £13 billion in cash terms.
The deal also includes provisions preventing development on the rest of the archipelago without the UK's consent, which the Government has argued will prevent countries such as China setting up their own facilities.
The agreement has also been backed by the United States.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has been contacted for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
5 minutes ago
- The Independent
New Zealand will spend $1.6B on military aircraft in a plan to double the defense budget
New Zealand 's government announced new military spending Thursday of 2.7 billion New Zealand dollars ($1.6 billion) to replace aging aircraft, with senior officials who unveiled the package citing rapidly growing global tensions and a deteriorating security environment. The purchase of military planes and helicopters was the first procurement announced in a government plan, disclosed April, to double defense spending from 1% to 2% of GDP in the next decade. New Zealand's military spending has trailed that of its larger partners in the Five Eyes intelligence sharing group of countries — which includes the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia — and the bolstered budget reflects a shift in how the remote island nation is responding to strategic competition between major powers in the Pacific Ocean. The procurement includes five MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to replace the existing maritime fleet and two Airbus A321XLR aircraft, allowing the retirement of Boeing 757s that are more than 30 years old and were already secondhand when purchased. The helicopters accounted for more than NZ $2 billion of the spending, officials said. Defense Minister Judith Collins said her government would 'move at pace' to procure the helicopters directly through the United States' foreign military sales program instead of going to a wider tender. Cabinet ministers were expected to consider the final business case in 2026, she told reporters in Wellington on Thursday. It would take 'a few years' to acquire the helicopters, Collins added, because buying new meant New Zealand would need to 'wait in line.' She denied the choice to buy from the United States was an attempt to rectify the trade imbalance that has seen New Zealand goods targeted for an adjusted 15% levy when arriving in the U.S. under the Trump administration's global tariffs plan. The aging Boeing aircraft have frequently broken down while transporting New Zealand prime ministers abroad in recent years and now can only be flown short distances. The episodes are among an awkward string of incidents that have highlighted the rundown state of the country's military hardware and persistent difficulties in maintaining it due to recruitment shortfalls.
The Independent
35 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump has bought up $100 million in bonds from biggest companies including T-Mobile and Meta since taking office
Since taking office, Donald Trump has bought at least $103 million worth of bonds, including debt issued by corporations that could be impacted by federal policy, like T-Mobile, Meta, and Home Depot, according to government financial disclosures. According to the August 12 filing with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, the president made nearly 700 bond purchases while in the White House, investing in bonds not only from name-brand companies but obscure local governments and utilities districts. The disclosures, obtained by Bloomberg, do not list the exact size of the purchases, but they do show that the president bought between $500,000 and $1,000,000 in bonds from T-Mobile and Home Depot in February, as well as debt worth between $250,000 and $500,000 from Facebook parent Meta. Meta, alongside a variety of other big names in the tech world, donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund. A White House official told Reuters that Trump and his family had no role in managing the purchases, which were carried out by a third-party financial institution. The official added that federal ethics officials certified the purchases as in compliance with applicable laws. Critics have alleged that Trump, a billionaire businessman and TV personality before becoming president, has continued highly lucrative activities while holding office. Under federal ethics laws, presidents are not required to divest assets that might pose a conflict of interest, but most have done so anyway since the late 1970s, moving their assets into blind trusts managed by independent monitors. Trump is the first president not to have done so since 1978, and his business empire is held in a trust managed by his two sons. The Republican's net worth has more than doubled since the final year of his first term, and since retaking office, the president has continued to promote his business interests, including by visiting a new Trump golf course in Scotland and hosting top investors in his cryptocurrency business for a tour of the White House in May. On average, the president has visited one of his properties roughly once every other day since taking office, and has promoted his businesses at least 60 times, according to the watchdog group Citizens for Ethics in Washington. The president's sons, meanwhile, have pursued lucrative deals in the crypto world alongside Zach Witkoff, son of U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. A fund linked to the United Arab Emirates government, a U.S. ally, used $2 billion in the Trump family's World Liberty Financial cryptocurrency to invest in a crypto exchange. The Trump sons have also inked multiple business deals in the Middle Eas t since their father took office, including a Trump branded golf course in Qatar partially backed by the country's sovereign wealth fund.
Daily Mail
36 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The STAGGERING amount of money Aussie taxpayers will have to fork out to pay for the Brisbane Olympics
Many Aussie taxpayers can't wait for the Brisbane Olympics to begin in 2032 - but they won't be happy to hear they'll be forking out more than $7billion to host the Games. Under a deal struck with the Queensland government, the Commonwealth has agreed to contribute just under half the cost of building when it comes to Games venues and other infrastructure. The federal government will provide $3.43billion for 17 new and upgraded venues for the Games - with the whole bill forecast to cost $7.1billion. Given the long track history of Olympics being subject to huge cost overruns, the eventual total could be far in excess of that. A large proportion of federal government's contribution will be spent on the new 63,000-seat stadium at Victoria Park as well as a 25,000-seat National Aquatic Centre in Spring Hill. In total, 37 venues across 11 Queensland cities will be used to host the 28 Olympic and 22 Paralympic sports. But given some sports won't be determined until an International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting is staged next year, Games organisers will be forced to create a venue plan while not knowing what sports they are hosting. At the LA Olympics in 2028, there will be six additional sports: cricket, baseball, flag football, lacrosse, squash and softball. In March, Premier David Crisafulli apologised to Queenslanders for breaking a major election promise after announcing the construction of a new stadium as part of Brisbane's $7billion plan for the 2032 Olympics. Crisafulli repeatedly pledged not to build any new stadiums on the campaign trail in the lead-up to last year's state elections. 'It became a choice between the embarrassment of hosting the games at [the run-down Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre] or a new stadium at Victoria Park,' he said earlier this year. 'In the end, the choice was clear. The Games must be held at a new stadium at Victoria Park.' Crisafulli was asked how he planned to respond to claims he had back-flipped on his earlier promises. 'By being honest and copping that on the chin,' he conceded. 'I have to own that, and I will, and I am sorry. (But) it is my decision.' Following the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the new stadium will host home games for the Brisbane Lions and Cricket Australia matches. Brisbane won the rights to host the 2032 Games four years ago when the International Olympic Committee stated the city was its 'preferred candidate' based on its previous successes in hosting international sporting events.
