Now’s your time, House of Lords

The upper house must prove its worth by opposing the shabby Chagos Islands deal

THE HOUSE OF LORDS — just as it faces a hostile government which has fixed menacing eyes on the membership of the upper house — has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to prove its worth in the constitution and to do this by saving the country from an irreversible, strategic error. Let’s start with the error: the almost-incomprehensible decision to surrender British sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, handing the Chagos Islands over to Mauritius (a state with no historic links to the islands beyond having been jointly administered before Mauritius received independence in 1968). We have negotiated a 99-year lease on one of the islands, Diego Garcia, in order to allow a military base to continue operating there for the United States. We have agreed to pay Mauritius an unnamed…

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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, November 2024

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