Maldives-Chagos Atolls

Maldives4ChagosAtolls

[Maldives-Chagos Atolls @Atollfishing]

By making the #Chagos a colony of Mauritius, the UK mishandles decolonization. The Chagos Islands are only 200 nautical miles from the #Maldives but about 2,500 km from Mauritius.
The UK-Mauritius deal is a silly decision', akin to wearing socks with sandals to a fashion show.

[Mohamed Nasheed @MohamedNasheed]

Raajjeyge qudhrathee vaseelaiythah beynun kohgen thanavaskan hoadhenee viyafaari veriyaa ves masahkaiy kuraa meehaa ves hureethee. Viyafaari veriyaa hoadhaa muhsandhi kamakee eynaage masahkathun hoadhaa muhsandhu kameh. E muhsandhikan gulhifaivanee mulhi gaumuge enmengeves thanavaskamaa. Viyafaari veriyaa ah libey beyru faisaage 40% dhivehi rufiyaa ah maaru kurumah majbooru kurumun e viyafaarithah dhekolhu nujehi bangurootu vedhaane. Viyafaari veriyaa bangurootu veemaa meehunge vazeefaathah gehleyne. Resort viyafaari aa gulhun huri dhen huri hurihaa viyafaari akah asaru kuraane. Misarukaaru mi gendhanee Raajje bangurootu kuramun.

[Robert Midgley @RobertMidgley07]

The UK only pursued the Chagos Islands deal because of fear of an UNCLOS ruling - but UNCLOS cannot rule on sovereignty, and Article 298 covers the whole territory, as opposed to the single island of Diego Garcia

[Robert Midgley @RobertMidgley07]

Andy Burnham shouldn’t even entertain Mauritius:

- The Chagos Islands deal has no legal basis
- Comes with a £50bn cost to British taxpayers
- Betrays Western security and self-determination 🧵

[Maldives-Chagos Atolls @Atollfishing]

The Wrong Decolonisation: Why Handing Chagos to Anyone but the Maldives Repeats an Imperial Error https://t.co/lJoCK6I4AM https://t.co/bbUsOfRo9e #Chagos @RoyalFamily @10DowningStreet @MohamedNasheed @RobertMidgley07 @SenJohnKennedy @MMuizzu

[Kemi Badenoch @KemiBadenoch]

This is so good 💥

[Kel Mansfield @tedkel]

The Chagos deal was stitched together by three long-time good friends, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and his Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer, acting for the UK, and Philippe Sands acting for Mauritius.

Starmer controversially made the unelected Hermer part of his government by giving him a peerage so he could be Attorney General.
It's not known if Hermer was even vetted before being given the job.

However it happened, what extraordinary good fortune it was for the three old legal-eagle buddies to be able to work together to transfer the sovereignty of the 250,000 square-mile Chagos Archipelago, all its mineral wealth, which could be HUGE, and control of the France-size airspace above the EEZ, to Mauritius, and for UK taxpayers to give £billions to Mauritius for the privilege of leasing Diego Garcia for 99 years.

Starmer deceived the country about his intentions to give British territory away.
He never mentioned Chagos during the 2024 General Election, and it wasn't in the Labour manifesto, which promised to protect Britain's overseas territories.

In 2013 before he even became an MP, Starmer visited Mauritius and discussed the future of Chagos with then prime minister Navin Ramgoolam, the same man he sat down with in London in 2025 to sign the treaty that gives Mauritius sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, and control of all the airspace above it's territorial waters which, at 250,000 square miles, is the size of France.

Proof that Starmer did not want the country to know his intentions is the fact he hired Tony Blair's former highly controversial chief of staff, Jonathan Powell, without informing parliament, or the public, to be his special envoy for Chagos to negotiate the details of a deal to transfer the British territory to Mauritius.

It's not known when Starmer hired Powell as he refuses to reveal the date, or if Powell had been vetted for the role; even when asked directly at PMQs.

Powell had been working, and using his private email, on Chagos for at least 5 weeks before his appointment as Special Envoy was officially announced in September 2024.

Chagos is not just some tiny islands nobody visits, or cares about, as Powell told Times Radio during an interview in October 2024.
Apart from everything else, it's home to the strategically vital joint UK/US military base for front-line combat aircraft, and nuclear-armed and nuclear-powered submarines, on Diego Garcia.

Starmer's deal gives Mauritius, which is far smaller than Luxembourg, sovereignty over everything, including the fishing rights, all minerals and hydrocarbons in the seabed, which could be worth trillions, and it also gives Mauritius control of the 🛫airspace above an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which is the size of France in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

Just think of the implications.
In April this year, at China's behest, Mauritius revoked permission for the Taiwan President’s aircraft to fly through its airspace on a planned trip to Africa.

If Starmer's Chagos deal is ratified, in future, China will be able to dictate who flies over an area the size of France in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

Starmer's, deal means Mauritius will have knowledge of, and vetoes over, all military operations at Diego Garcia.

As only Diego Garcia is being leased, the UK and US will be unable to station early warning and air-defense assets on the outer islands to protect against the rapidly increasing threat of missile and drone attacks.

Nuclear weapons will be banned from Degio Garcia under Starmer's deal as Mauritius is a signatory of the African nuclear-weapon free zone treaty.

And don't forget, Starmer's deals denies the Chagossian people resettlement and self-determination.

Starmer tried to rush his deal past the Americans, and through parliament, as he knew it would be exposed as anti-western pro-China treachery.

[Kemi Badenoch @KemiBadenoch]

This is a disgrace.

Labour’s lame duck Attorney General, Lord Hermer, is once again trying to force through his vindictive pet project: the Chagos Island surrender.

Hermer is the only person who wants this deal. Conservatives rejected it. The Americans have serious concerns about it. And the British people do not want it.

Conservative would use the money Labour put aside for the Chagos surrender to fund our defence.

You do not make Britain safer by giving away strategic assets and paying for the privilege.

Conservatives have stopped this deal before. We will stop it again.

We will not let Labour weaken Britain.

[Great British PAC Campaigns 🇬🇧 @GBPAC_Campaigns]

If Al Carns wants to lead Britain, the public deserve to know where he stands on #Chagos.
🇬🇧 Should Britain surrender sovereignty?
🗳️ Should Chagossians have a referendum?
🛡️ Does this strengthen our national security?
💷 Is this good value for British taxpayers?
Today, the Great British PAC has written to Mr Carns seeking clear answers. We will publish his response in full.

[STV News @STVNews]

Sir Keir Starmer has announced his resignation as Prime Minister outside Downing Street.

#news #keirstarmer #uk #stv #stvnews

[Maldives-Chagos Atolls @Atollfishing]

The earliest records of the #Maldives come from traders and travelers, such as the 9th-century traveler Sulaymān al-Tājir. In his 851 AD work, Akhbār al-Ṣīn wa-al-Hind (Accounts of China and India), he explored early Arab trade with the Maldives, a key aspect of its history.

[Maldives-Chagos Atolls @Atollfishing]

The strategic handover from Gan (Addu Atoll, #Maldives) to Foalhavahi (Diego Garcia) in 1976 . #Chagos @RoyalFamily @SenJohnKennedy @Alexarmstrong
@Andreas_Witte @HouseofCommons https://t.co/eylHO6i6LL

[Maldives-Chagos Atolls @Atollfishing]

@AquaFunded Argentina 3 - Algeria 0

[Maldives-Chagos Atolls @Atollfishing]

@AquaFunded France 3 Senegal 0

[Maldives-Chagos Atolls @Atollfishing]

The strategic handover from Gan (Addu Atoll, #Maldives) to Foalhavahi (Diego Garcia) in 1976 . #Chagos @RoyalFamily @SenJohnKennedy @Alexarmstrong
@Andreas_Witte @HouseofCommons https://t.co/eylHO6i6LL

[Maldives-Chagos Atolls @Atollfishing]

Port T. Addu Atoll & Foalhavahi #Chagos British Air & Naval Base in the Indian Ocean During 1937-1944 & the Sultan of Land and Sea Lord of Twelve Thousand Isles, of v Sultan of #Maldive. @Andreas_Witte @RobertMidgley07 @BritishOverseas
https://t.co/72o2GgjLQH

[Robert Midgley @RobertMidgley07]

In reference to the story on US wanting to buy Chagos:

https://t.co/RYTVzo4yvt

[Robert Midgley @RobertMidgley07]

What the Mandelson files reveal about Chagos Islands:

• Officials knew about Chinese interests in outer islands

• Officials wanted to rush the deal over fear of public and media scrutiny

• Mauritius was to keep the outer islands empty - betraying Chagossians (again)

[GB News @GBNEWS]

'They see a very weak British Government.'

Head of Communications for Friends of British Overseas Territories, Rob Midgely outlines how U.S. plans to purchase the Chagos Islands would play out in Parliament.

[Robert Midgley @RobertMidgley07]

For the first time ever, the true cost of the Chagos Islands Deal is now in legal writing

UK taxpayers would pay at least £50bn to give away the Chagos Islands and rent back our own territory of Diego Garcia

Not Starmer's £3bn
Not £36bn
Not £46bn

But £50bn+

Let that sink in

[Robert Midgley @RobertMidgley07]

A new milestone for the Chagos Islands

Lord Weir's Bill securing the islands passes its First Reading:

•⁠ ⁠Protects British sovereignty
•⁠ ⁠⁠Introduces a referendum protection for Chagossians
•⁠ ⁠⁠Enables resettlement to the outer islands