Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed the signing of a landmark deal transferring control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The agreement includes the strategically important Diego Garcia military base, which will be leased back from the Mauritian government under the new arrangement.Speaking in Hertfordshire, Sir Keir explained that the "full assessment" of why this decision has been made is "highly classified". The arrangement represents a significant shift in territorial control whilst maintaining Britain's military presence in the region through the leasing agreement.WATCH THE FULL STATEMENT ABOVE
00:00be vital for our defence and intelligence and therefore for the safety and security
00:07of the British people. The full assessment of why this is so important is highly classified
00:14but I want to speak as frankly as I can. The strategic location of this base is of the
00:23utmost significance to Britain from deploying aircraft to defeat terrorists in Iraq and
00:29Afghanistan, to anticipating threats in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific, the base is right
00:37at the foundation of our security and safety at home. It has helped us to disrupt threats
00:44to the UK, to support counter-terror operations against Islamic State and to reduce the risk
00:52to brave British and American servicemen and servicewomen. The base will help protect the
00:58safe passage of our carrier strike group as it goes through the Middle East. It enables
01:05rapid deployment across the Middle East, East Africa and South Asia. It helps combat some
01:12of the most challenging threats that we face, including from terrorism and hostile states.
01:19And its location creates a real military advantage across the Indo-Pacific. The base gives the
01:27UK and the US access to unique and vital capabilities which benefit us directly. Many of these capabilities
01:37are secret but they include airfield and deep water port facilities, facilities that support the worldwide
01:46operation of GPS and the monitoring of objects in the Earth's orbit and equipment to monitor the nuclear
01:54test ban treaty. The base is one of the most significant contributions that we make to our security
02:02relationship with the United States, which is critical for keeping Britain safe. Almost everything we do from the base
02:12is in partnership with the US. President Trump has welcomed the deal, along with other allies, because they see the strategic
02:23importance of this base and that we cannot cede the ground to others who would seek to do us harm. And let me be clear, we had to act now, because the base was under threat.
02:40The courts have already made decisions which undermine our position. And if Mauritius took us to court again, which they certainly would have, the UK's long-standing legal view is that we would not have a realistic prospect of success and would likely face provisional measures orders within a matter of weeks.
03:04But this is not just about international law. It's about the operation of the base. Even if we choose to ignore judgments made against us, international organizations and other countries would act on them. And that would undermine the operation of the base, causing us to lose this unique capability.
03:30One example of this is the electromagnetic spectrum. Countries have the right to manage this spectrum as they wish within their borders. A right that's recognised in regulations and overseen in the International Telecommunication Union.
03:48The use of the spectrum is key to understand and anticipate those who seek to do us harm. If our right to control it is put into doubt, we would lose the first line of defence against other countries who wish to interfere and disrupt this capability.
04:10Rendering it practically useless. In addition, if we did not agree this deal, the legal situation would mean that we would not be able to prevent China or any other nation setting up their own bases on the outer islands or carrying out joint exercises near our base.
04:34We would have to explain to our base. We would have to explain to you, the British people and to our allies that we had lost control of this vital asset.
04:46No responsible government could let that happen. So there is no alternative but to act in Britain's national interest.
04:58By agreeing to this deal now on our terms, we are securing strong protections, including from malign influence, that will allow the base to operate well into the next century, helping to keep us safe for generations to come.
05:15Now other approaches to secure the base have been tried over the years and they have failed.
05:23Boris Johnson failed in his efforts to endlessly delay.
05:28Liz Truss then started the negotiations.
05:32We inherited a negotiation in which the principle of giving up UK sovereignty had already been conceded by the previous Tory government.
05:43Our deal has concluded those negotiations in the national interest.
05:49Now there's obviously a cost to maintaining such a valuable asset.
05:54We pay for other military bases.
05:57Allies like the US and France do the same.
06:01This cost is part and parcel of using Britain's global reach to keep us safe at home.
06:09And it will be less than the cost of running one aircraft carrier for a year.
06:16Today's agreement is the only way to maintain the base in the long term.
06:22There is no alternative.
06:24We will never gamble with national security.
06:28So we have acted to secure our national interest, to strengthen our national security and to protect the British people for many years to come.
06:43Now let me hand over to the Defence Secretary and then to General Hockenhall to say a few words.
