Peter Clegg
Since the announcement on 3 October that the UK had reached a deal with Mauritius for the transfer of sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago there has been much political and media comment. Some of which has been well-informed, some less so. In the latter category, former prime minister Boris Johnson called the decision “sheer political correctness”, and Reform leader Nigel Farage said it was a “surrender” and “strategic disaster”. It has also been suggested that the handing-over of the Chagos Archipelago could precipitate a domino effect whereby some of the remaining 13 British Overseas Territories (BOTs) could also be given up by the UK. This article discusses the decision of the UK to cede sovereignty to Mauritius and the likely implications, if any, for the other BOTs.
The Chagos Archipelago is situated in the middle of the Indian Ocean and consists of seven atolls and 60 islands. It is formally known as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) and in various guises has been under UK control since 1814. The origins of the decision to cede sovereignty was in 1965 when prior to independence for Mauritius the Chagos Archipelago was removed from the territory, creating the BIOT. Independence was conditional on the detachment taking place. Then from 1968-1973, the Indigenous Chagossian population was removed. These decisions were made to ensure that the subsequently constructed United States-UK military base on Diego Garcia was as secure as possible.
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