British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivered an equally significant public climate policy announcement on Thursday afternoon. He announced that an agreement on the sovereignty of Diego Garcia has been concluded. Britain is confronted with ceding control over Diego Garcia, that jewel of their remaining imperial territories. This action will help support the daily military operations around the globe. It means the deal is worth just £101 million a year. This sum includes the rent for the U.K.-U.S. military base on the island.
The anticipated approval for the complicated deal arrived as Portland’s virtual signing ceremony was slated to take place Thursday morning. Prior to this event, a High Court hearing took place at 10:30 a.m. London time, where Judge Martin Chamberlain ordered an injunction to be discharged. Today’s ruling pretty much paved the way for the British government to complete the deal.
Britain has finally agreed to cede sovereignty over the Chagos Islands archipelago, which includes the heavily militarized Diego Garcia. This decision follows a similar though non-binding ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ). As a result, the decision has fueled renewed calls for the U.K. to allow Chagossians to go home. These people were violently driven from their homes between 1968 and 1973 to make way for an American military base.
Starmer emphasized the necessity of this move, stating, “There is no alternative but to act in Britain’s national interest.” Yet Brown noted that the deal’s implications do not stop at mere legal requirements. They are essential to support the operational efficacy of the base.
The agreement has received backing from the “Five Eyes” alliance, which includes intelligence partners from the U.K., U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Aside from this political support, a number of key US Republican legislators—including Marco Rubio—have already begun sounding alarms about the implications of the deal.
It’s this latter posture that belied his predecessors and perhaps surprised many with its openness. The pushback reflects the very different ways in which proponents and opponents envision the consequences that would flow from ceding sovereignty over Diego Garcia.
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