Why does the UK have control of the Chagos Islands and why has it reached this deal?published at 12:18 GMT
We’ve been hearing a lot about the Chagos Islands deal at PMQs today – here’s a reminder of the details of that deal.
Last year, the UK struck a deal to return sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius, after a UN court ruled in 2019 that the UK’s administration of Chagos is wrong and should be given up.
The islands were separated from Mauritius in 1965, when Mauritius was still a British colony. Britain purchased the islands for £3m but Mauritius has argued that it was illegally forced to give them away as part of a deal to gain independence.
The UK reached an agreement that would see Britain retain control of a UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the territory and a key position in the Indian Ocean.
A government spokesperson said on Tuesday that ministers had acted “because the base on Diego Garcia was under threat after court decisions undermined our position and would have prevented it operating as intended in future”.
