Britain should "stand firm" and not cede control of the Chagos Island to Mauritius as it would put the country's strategic interests in danger, a new report says.
Earlier this year, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced that the UK was entering into negotiations with Mauritius about the future of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
The UN’s highest court, the International Court of Justice, previously ruled that the UK’s administration of the territory is “unlawful” and must end after two centuries of British control.
But the Conservative government said that whatever the outcome of the talks between the two countries, a joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, one of those in the cluster of Indian Ocean islands that make up the Chagos Islands, will continue to be operated by allies.
The new Policy Exchange report says that Britain should not relinquish sovereignty over the islands in return for "an unenforceable promise by a third country that the military base at Diego Garcia will be allowed to continue to operate in the future".
In addition, the report says the UK should only hand over the territory after consulting Chagossians, with any future deal allowing provision for "continuing free association with the UK".
The authors argue that the government should revert to "the longstanding, cross-party position that the UK enjoys sovereignty over the Chagos Islands".
Richard Ekins, head of Policy Exchange’s Judicial Power Project, says the British government should halt negotiating a treaty of cession with Mauritius, and should retain Diego Garcia at all costs.
The report is backed by Admiral the Lord West of Spithead, who argues that ceding control of the territory “... would put our strategic interests – and the interests of our closest allies – in danger, while also recklessly undermining fundamental principles of international law".
Lord West argues that the Chinese are pushing Mauritius to claim Diego Garcia and that China wants access to and control of the port and airfield facilities.
"The UK must stand firm", he says. "With the return of great power competition, and an increasingly aggressive Chinese regime active throughout the region, the territory is of fundamental importance to UK security and foreign policy."
Any move to cede Chagos would "a colossal mistake" and one which opposition parties in parliament would also be "complicit in".
Mr Ekins says the government should recognise that ceding the Chagos Islands "would be an irresponsible act, which would put our strategic interests – and the interests of our closest allies – in danger, while also recklessly undermining fundamental principles of international law.”
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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More on Quran memorisation:
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
