Taxpayers Told to Cough Up Even MORE for Chagos Handover as Mauritius Pushes Last-Minute Cash Grab

A final agreement between the UK and Mauritius could be shown to Parliament soon, revealing how much it will cost Britain to give up control of the Chagos Islands. Taxpayers might have to pay more because Mauritius is asking for more money in hopes of getting a better deal.

Talks are nearly complete after former US President Donald Trump gave his approval for the UK to hand over the islands.

People involved in the talks said Mauritius is demanding higher rent payments for the Diego Garcia military base and more development money, even after an earlier £9 billion deal.

The UK has said it won’t go above the total amount agreed last October, but it may change the payment plan to send more money upfront. British negotiators have recently offered three new ways to speed up payments, with larger portions of the 99-year rent being paid early. Mauritius has rejected two of the options and is still negotiating for a better deal.

A Mauritian official said they won’t sign the deal unless they know how much will be paid early. They were given three options, dismissed the first two, and are now discussing the third. Details of that third option aren’t clear yet.

The biggest disagreement between the two countries is now over how and when the payments will be made. This issue has become more important since Mauritius elected a new prime minister, Navin Ramgoolam, who wants faster payments to help with the country’s debt.

The UK has agreed to send a lump sum shortly after the deal is signed, but insiders say things got tense when Mauritius asked for even more money. Some UK officials think Mauritius is taking advantage of Britain’s urgency to close the deal and avoid legal issues over the military base.

Although there were fears the US would block the deal, President Trump gave it the green light after Keir Starmer visited Washington. Jonathan Powell, Britain’s national security adviser, got the final OK from the US side.

The Foreign Office hasn’t said exactly how much the deal will cost, but reports say it’s about £9 billion. Claims that it could be closer to £18 billion were denied by a government minister.

Once the deal is shown to Parliament, it will reveal for the first time what giving up the Chagos Islands is really costing. These islands have been under British control since Mauritius became independent in 1967. Mauritius has always claimed the islands were taken unfairly and has received some international support.

Some Conservative politicians want the deal cancelled. Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel called it one of the worst foreign policy mistakes in recent history. She criticized Keir Starmer and David Lammy, saying Labour is weak and has let taxpayers down by agreeing to give up the islands and pay for it. She said it’s no surprise Mauritius is now asking for even more money.