UK signs £101m-a-year deal to hand over Chagos Islands18 hours ago Share Save Sam Francis and Kate Whannel Political reporters Alice Cuddy BBC News Share SaveStarmer announces deal to hand over Chagos Islands and lease back military baseSir Keir Starmer has signed a deal to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and lease back a key military base for £101m a year. The prime minister told a news conference the UK had to "act now" or face Mauritian legal action that could interfere with the Diego Garcia base. "I have always said we must obtain our sovereignty over the totality of the Chagos, including Diego Garcia," he said. The deal states Mauritius is "free to implement a programme of resettlement" on the islands, excluding Diego Garcia, which is home to the UK-US military base. Britain invited the US to build a military base on Diego Garcia and removed thousands of people from their homes on the island and preventing their return.