Keir Starmer faced a chorus of mockery for abandoning the surrender of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in the face of deteriorating relations with the Trump administration.
The controversial handover, which had been expected to feature in May’s King’s Speech, has been delayed indefinitely because the US has withdrawn its backing.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called it ‘another humiliating U-turn from a government that has no strategic direction’, while Nigel Farage described the capitulation as ‘very good news for global security’ – as the islands include the strategic UK-US military base of Diego Garcia, and Mauritius is an ally of China.
Donald Trump, once supportive of the deal which would see the UK pay up to £101million a year to lease Diego Garcia, changed his mind after relations soured between the two allies over the Middle East.
Earlier this month, after Sir Keir refused allow US forces to use Diego Garcia or any UK airbases for the initial raids on Iran due to doubts about the legality of the strikes, the US President said he was ‘very disappointed’ by the ‘very woke thing’.
The former head of the diplomatic service said on Saturday that the Prime Minister had ‘no choice’ but to abandon his plan to hand over the Chagos Islands in the face of an ‘openly hostile’ Mr Trump.
Simon McDonald, who was in charge at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office when the UK was advised to hand back the Indian Ocean island archipelago to Mauritius, said the plans would now go ‘into the deep freeze’.
Lord McDonald said: ‘The UK had two objectives. One was to comply with international law. The second was to reinforce the relationship with the United States.
‘But when the President of the United States is openly hostile, the Government has to rethink.’
Mr Farage also criticised Sir Keir for blocking essential life-saving goods from reaching the Chagos Islands, after footage of British police and customs officers intercepting a boat packed with items such as water sanitisers and mosquito nets was shared online.
The video was filmed by former Conservative MP Adam Holloway, who joined a small number of Chagossians in resettling the archipelago in February.
DONALD? SORRY, WRONG NUMBER!
Who’s on the phone?
A narky US President, angered by Sir Keir Starmer’s wretched handling of the Chagos deal?
Or is the PM, pictured ahead of his beloved Arsenal’s home humbling at The Emirates on Saturday, simply letting his nerves get the better of him as he lays into a hapless aide while the Gunners’ title charge crumbled in a 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth?
Calling it ‘shameful’, Reform UK leader Mr Farage said: ‘This is disgraceful, vindictive behaviour against the Chagossians on the island from a government who supposedly say they are concerned with human rights.
‘Let the Chagossians resettle their homeland and right a terrible wrong’.
Four Chagossians arrived on the shores of their homeland two months ago, along with Mr Holloway, refusing to obey a removal order issued by British authorities.
One video showed police and customs officers on a resupply boat, who went through ‘every single box’ and denied the Chagossian sailors items such as an emergency solar water maker, bedding, mobile phones, clothes and an ice maker.
Mr Holloway warned that the confiscation could prove the difference between life and death for those on the island, adding: ‘Are we to die of thirst?’
Barrister Kareesha Turner, who represents the humanitarian mission, called the situation ‘deeply concerning’, while the Chagossian interim First Minister, Misley Mandarin, accused Sir Keir of denying his people their dignity.
He said: ‘Let me speak plainly, there is no justification for denying our people the most basic provisions needed to live safely and with dignity, Keir Starmer.
‘You call yourself a human rights lawyer, Mr Starmer?’
Speaking at a defence conference in London on Saturday, Ms Badenoch said: ‘This is yet another humiliating U-turn from a government that has no strategic direction.
‘That deal should have never been on the table – paying £35billion to give away territory we already own, at a time when so many in this country are dealing with the cost of living, shows they were not in any way thinking clearly.
‘This has only happened because Conservatives have been fighting every step of the way in the Commons, in the Lords, making it very difficult for them to pass this legislation. So I welcome the news – we’ve won, we’ve got a U-turn.’
