Lammy: Labour has 'saved' Diego Garcia by giving up Chagos islands

David Lammy today claimed Labour had 'saved' the vital US-UK airbase of Diego Garcia - by handing over the Chagos Islands in which it is situated.

The Foreign Secretary faced the fury of Tory MPs in the House of Commons as he spoke about the deal to hand over the Indian Ocean archipelago for the first time.

He sparked angry exchanges as he defended what has been labelled a 'surrender' of one of Britain's last overseas territories to Mauritius.

Mr Lammy told MPs that the US, which uses Diego Garcia as a base within striking distance of China, 'strongly encouraged' Britain to do the deal.

The Foreign Secretary said that otherwise it was only a matter of time before the base had to be abandoned to avoid breaking international law, following a 2019 ruling.

And he pointed out that the negotiations had been started in 2022 by the then Tory foreign secretary James Cleverly.

But Tory shadow foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell angrily said the deal struck by Labour would never have been agreed by Mr Cleverly or his successor Lord Cameron. 

'By this statement today the Government gives succour to our enemies in a dangerous world and undermines the strategic web of Britain's defence interests,' Mr Mitchell said. 'Our country is the poorer and the less for it.'

Mr Lammy also saw Labour's deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to 'an ally of China' condemned by Tory leadership contenders Tom Tugendhat and Robert Jenrick.

Mr Tugendhat repeated the words 'not true' as Mr Lammy set out the 'context' to the UK's decision to relinquish sovereignty over the Chagos Islands.

The former security minister repeated the phrase from the Tory benches as Mr Lammy told MPs: 'Since its creation, the territory and the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia has had a contested existence. In recent years, the threat has risen significantly.

'Coming into office, the status quo was clearly not sustainable. A binding judgment against the UK seemed inevitable and it was just a matter of time before our only choices would've been abandoning the base altogether or breaking international law.'

Speaking later, Mr Tugendhat slated the terms of Labour's deal with Mauritius.

He told Mr Lammy: 'Truly nobody but a boy called Jack has ever made a worse deal on the way to market.

'He's come back with a handful of beans he's trying to sell as a prize.'

Mr Jenrick, who is competing against Mr Tugendhat, Mr Cleverly and Kemi Badenoch to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader, also slammed Labour's action.

'We have just handed sovereign British territory to a small island nation, which is an ally of China, and we are paying for the privilege,' he said.

'All so the Foreign Secretary can feel good about himself at his next north London dinner party.

'In whose interests does he think he serves - those of the global diplomatic elite or those of the British people and our national interest?'

Mr Lammy hit back: 'Well, I hope that question may have garnered him a few more votes.

'But if that is his position he is unlikely to lead the Conservative Party to victory. This deal secures the best, it is in our national interest.'

The Foreign Secretary told MPs that US President Joe Biden and the US Defence Secretary 'applaud and welcome this deal'.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage suggested Donald Trump would withhold approval of Britain's deal with Mauritius if he is re-elected as US president next month.

Mr Lammy began his statement to the Commons with a reference to a treaty to agree Mauritius's sovereignty over the Chagos Islands,

He said: 'The treaty is neither signed nor ratified but I wanted to update the House on the conclusion of formal negotiations at the earliest opportunity.' 

The Foreign Secretary's appearance in the Commons came as No 10 said the decision over the Chagos Islands should not be viewed as a signal of movement on other disputed territories, including the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar.

Mr Lammy updated Parliament on the announcement about the islands, known as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), which was made while the Commons was not sitting during the break for party conferences.

Downing Street said the deal to give up sovereignty over the BIOT was because of the 'unsustainable' legal position and had no impact on other sovereignty disputes.

The International Court of Justice ruled the UK's administration of the Indian Ocean territory was 'unlawful' and must end, a judgment backed by a United Nations vote in 2019.

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle had earlier told Mr Lammy it is 'frustrating' MPs had to learn about the deal during the Commons' recess.

The Speaker told MPs in the Commons: 'I understand, and the whole House understands, that the business of the Government goes on during the recess and that ministers will always need to respond to events in the UK and around the world, however, it is frustrating for honourable members on both sides of the House when major planned announcements are scheduled during periods when the House is not sitting, particularly towards the end of recess.

'Whilst I appreciate the Government informing me directly on developments on some of these issues, that does not substitute informing the House.

'If announcements made towards the end of last week had been held over the weekend, then honourable members would have had the first opportunity to question the Secretary of State on it rather than learning about it through the media.'

Mr Lammy replied: 'Well Mr Speaker, I'm very grateful for your instructions at the beginning of this statement.'