Keir Starmer’s Weak Excuse for the Chagos Deal Falls Apart, You Won’t Believe What He Said

The government has tried to explain its controversial decision to hand over control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius with an excuse so unbelievable it sounds like something from a spy movie.

According to reports, Prime Minister Starmer’s government says the deal is needed to protect the military base on Diego Garcia. They claim there could be problems with communication systems due to “legal uncertainty” over who owns the islands.

The Telegraph newspaper says one of Starmer’s close friends, Philippe Sands KC, who has worked for Mauritius in this dispute, came up with these “national security” concerns. The UK plans to give the islands to Mauritius and then lease back the military base, which it shares with the US, for £9 billion over 99 years.

The government’s explanation about the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) causing problems is weak and hard to believe. Starmer’s spokesperson said the “electromagnetic spectrum” at Diego Garcia, which is important for secure communications, might not work without this deal.

They suggested the ITU could restrict communications because of international legal rulings about the islands. But this argument doesn’t make much sense.

Let’s break this down. First, the ITU manages global radio frequencies but doesn’t usually get involved in territorial disputes. Its job is to make sure frequencies are used properly, not to decide who owns land. The idea that the ITU would interfere with military communications over the Chagos Islands is unlikely and seems made up. It’s like saying the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization could stop a country’s food supply because of a border dispute.

Second, the legal rulings mentioned are only advisory, not binding. The idea that the ITU would take away or question frequencies for a military base because of these rulings is speculative. The ITU focuses on technical coordination, not political disputes, unless its members or international law specifically tell it to.

Even if we imagine the ITU did challenge the UK or US use of frequencies at Diego Garcia, the US would react strongly. If the ITU tried to block American military communications, the Trump administration would likely respond by cutting funding or leaving the ITU. The US has already done this with other organizations, like the WHO, and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again if its national security was threatened.

Starmer’s excuse for the Chagos deal seems desperate rather than diplomatic. It looks more like an attempt to hide what critics might call a secret agreement, rather than a well-thought-out plan. The ITU explanation is not just a stretch—it’s a mistake in political storytelling. Whether the deal is about fixing past wrongs or securing future military cooperation, the reasoning given doesn’t hold up. If Starmer’s government really believes this, they’ve overestimated the ITU’s role in military matters and underestimated the US’s power in global politics.

In international politics, Starmer should be careful about using such weak arguments to justify what might look like a shady deal. The real issue isn’t about electromagnetic frequencies or the ITU—it’s about Starmer trying to navigate tricky diplomatic waters with a story that falls apart under even the smallest scrutiny.