Sir Keir Starmer has signed an agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after a rapid scramble this afternoon to prevent further legal challenge after a last minute hearing on Thursday morning. At a cost of £101 million per year, which could mean a total eventual sum of £10 billion out of the UK’s defence budget, the prime minister said the government had to "act now" as the Mauritians would likely win legal disputes against Britain. Sir Keir said the UK's base in the Chagos Islands is "one of the most significant contributions that we make to our security relationship with the United States".

Britain signed an agreement Thursday handing sovereignty over the contested and strategically located Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a move the government says ensures the future of a U.S.-U.K. military base that is vital to British security. The Indian Ocean archipelago is home to a strategically important naval and bomber base on the largest of the islands, Diego Garcia. Under the agreement, the U.K. will pay Mauritius 101 million pounds ($136 million) per year to lease back the base for at least 99 years. Starmer said that base, operated by U.S. forces, is crucial for British counterterrorism and intelligence and is “right at the foundation of our safety and security at home.”

Sir Keir Starmer has signed a deal to hand the Chagos Island over to Mauritius, which will cost the UK £101 million a year. The deal sees Britain give up sovereignty of the island territory to Mauritius and will lease back a crucial military base there. The government claims the landmark agreement will secure the future of the strategically critical UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, one of our most significant contributions to the transatlantic defence and security partnership. The base has played a vital role in defending the UK and its allies for over 50 years.