Could the Falklands or Gibraltar be next to go? Keir Starmer's decision to surrender UK control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius sparks debate about future sovereignty of other British Overseas Territories
Gibraltar, more than 300 years after it was ceded by Spain to Britain
Labour’s decision to surrender control of the Chagos Islands has already prompted debate about other British Overseas Territories.
These include the Falklands and Gibraltar, which are subject to long-standing claims for a return to rule by Argentina and Spain respectively.
Admiral Lord West, former head of the Royal Navy, previously warned an agreement with Mauritius to surrender sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to the east African nation ‘threatens to undermine core British security interests, and those of key allies, most notably the United States’.
He wrote last year: ‘By agreeing the very principle of a Mauritian claim over Diego Garcia they are also putting at risk other British Overseas Territories such as the Falkland Islands.
‘Ceding the Chagos Islands to Mauritius will not address the plight of the Chagossians, who Mauritius has consistently ignored. Indeed, Mauritian treatment of the Chagossians has led many thousands of them to settle in the UK.’
The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) or Chagos Islands (formerly the Oil Islands) is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom situated in the Indian Ocean, halfway between Africa and Indonesia
Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago and site of a major United States military base in the middle of the Indian Ocean leased from Britain
Stanley is the capital of the Falkland Islands. Argentina claims the British Overseas Territory should be part of the South American country
Admiral Sir Alan West, the former First Sea Lord previously warned an agreement with Mauritius to surrender sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to the east African nation ‘threatens to undermine core British security interests'
Successive British prime ministers have stood firm in dismissing Argentina’s claim to the Falklands.
The Falklands were the subject of a short but brutal war after Argentina invaded the archipelago in the South Atlantic in 1982.
Britain drove out the invaders after dispatching a naval armada. The issue has never been considered settled in Buenos Aires, although new president Javier Milei recently admitted there was no ‘instant solution’ to the decades-old dispute and his government does not ‘seek conflict’, adding the matter was ‘in the hands of the UK’.
A spokesman for Tom Tugendhat’s campaign for Tory leadership said the former foreign affairs committee chairman would not allow British Overseas Territories to be surrendered - while taking aim at rival, former foreign secretary James Cleverly.
He said: ‘Labour’s decision to push forward the deal negotiated by James Cleverly to give up the Chagos Islands has raised questions about the Government’s commitment to the Falkland Islands.
‘The Falkland Islands are British. No debate. Full stop. Tom won’t trade away sovereignty.’
Keir Starmer made the announcement in a joint statement with his Mauritian counterpart today
Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth issued a joint statement with Keir Starmer
Undated picture released by the U.S. Navy shows an aerial view of Diego Garcia
Aerial image showing roads buildings and forest on Diego Garcia Islands in the Indian ocean
Official first day 'Ships of the Islands' British Indian Ocean Territory stamps from 1969
Following the eviction of the native population (Chagossians) in the 1960s, the only inhabitants are US and British military personnel
Gibraltar remains another coveted territory, more than 300 years after it was ceded by Spain to Britain.
The mountainous three-mile long rock peninsula shares a land border with Spain, and Madrid remains insistent on eventually obtaining total sovereignty.
The Rock’s 2006 constitution stipulates that there can be no transfer of sovereignty to Spain against the wishes of its voters.
In a referendum in 2002, Gibraltarians resoundingly rejected the idea of joint sovereignty between the UK and Spain.
While both the Falklands and Gibraltar have large numbers of Britons, many Chagossians were forced to leave their island in the 1960s during the creation of the British Indian Ocean Territory and the military base on Diego Garcia.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13922699/Could-Falklands-Gibraltar-Keir-Starmers-decision-surrender-UK-control-Chagos-Islands-Mauritius-sparks-debate-future-sovereignty-British-Overseas-Territories.html
Marina Bay in Gibraltar
Gibraltar
A photo taken at Gibraltar's Victoria Stadium, showing the Rock of Gibraltar in the background
Spain imposed a 'hard border' on Gibraltar
The Rock of Gibraltar is seen from the Spanish mainland
Britons arriving at Gibraltar airport could be effectively treated as if they are entering the EU
Britain has been locked in talks over the status of the overseas territory - which has a land border with Spain - since Britain left the EU, including moving the border to Gibraltar's airport
In theory, Gibraltar - home to more than 32,000 people - is currently outside the EU's customs union and not under free movement rules
Spain has demanded jurisdiction over Gibraltar airport, angering locals who say they face a 'catastrophe'
A view from the top of the rock of Gibraltar, showing the airport and Spanish border
An aerial view of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar on the Iberian Peninsula
The Rock territory
Main Street in Gibraltar
St Michael's Cave in Gibraltar, pictured, is a key attraction and is known for its stalagmites and stalactites
Visitors can take the cable car to the top of Gibraltar rock and get magnificent views across Spain and the Mediterranean
One of the cheeky Barbary macaque monkeys that run semi-wild on the rock
Gibraltar's Moorish Castle, which was first built in 1160. It is one of the major tourist attractions in the British Overseas Territory
The sandy beach at Catalan Bay, which also has rockpools and restaurants
The Queensway Quay waterside development, which brings a touch of Marbella to Gibraltar
Spain is insisting its police force must be able to check the passports of the 30,000 people on average who cross the border each day
Most people were able to freely cross Gibraltar's border under an agreement in 2020
Shops, bars and restaurants are thriving in Gibraltar
Locals in a restaurant
Locals on a beach
Gibraltar
Outdoor dining in Gibraltar
Locals in Gibraltar
A Gibraltar street
Outdoor dining on the Rock
15,000 cross-border workers commute daily from Spain
A restaurant on the Rock
The contrast with Spain is obvious the minute you cross the border (pictured). Visitors leaving the depressed Spanish town of La Linea are waved through passport control by Spanish police
The Rock
Retired caretaker Adolfo Mor, 76, relaxing on the promenade with his wife Victoria on foldaway chairs (pictured), said: 'This is paradise'
Locals on the beach
The airport's restaurant and duty free shop
Gibraltar
Locals enjoying the sunshine
The Dolphin Restaurant near the beach at Camp Bay
O'Reilly's Irish Pub and Steakhouse in upmarket Ocean Village
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