SHADOW Foreign Minister Wendy Morton has said that the previous Conservative administration halted talks over the handover of the Chagos Islands and questioned the motive for re-starting negotiations.
She said on GB News: ”There were negotiations, my understanding is, at that point, but we stopped them.
“They were clearly stopped while we were in government. So, this now rests firmly with the new government, with David Lammy the Foreign Secretary, and with the Prime Minister. It’s for them to listen to what people are saying.
“Why the rush? Why sell off something that is ours?
“If you are exploring something or looking at something, it doesn’t mean to say the principle is that you are going to sell them off. It could be quite the opposite.
“You come to a view…we stopped the deal. But I come back to the point that has been made time and time again. This was so rushed through.
“It was rushed through during the recess, before we could even comment on it…on the cusp of a change in government and Mauritius – and now, again, this rush.
“It feels like the Mauritians have really got the Labour government here over a barrel, wanting a shorter lease for more money. That’s not good for British taxpayers.”
In a discussion during PMQs Live with Tom Harwood and Gloria De Piero, Labour MP Jo White responded: “Our focus has to be on the security of the United Kingdom. The future of those islands is under a legal challenge.
“I feel we have to move quickly to ensure that base is there, protected for our future.
“We’ve already seen how President Trump will be operating, and for us it’s steady as she goes.
“We have to secure our bases to make sure that our country is safe no matter what else is happening in the world.”
Asked why discussions could not be paused until after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, White said: “He’s too much of an unknown.”
