A leading Blackpool councillor says the town could miss out on vital investment because of the Government’s decision to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius – and lease back the military base there for £101m a year.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the 99 year agreement yesterday and said the Labour government’s decision was in Britain’s best interests, as it protected the UK-US military base on the largest island of Diego Garcia.
The 60 remote islands in the Indian Ocean previously belonged to Mauritius, despite being more than 1,200 miles away from that country, but became separated from it back in the 1960s when Britain paid £3m for them.
Mauritius unhappily claimed this was the ‘illegal’ price it had to pay for independence from Britain – and sovereignty of the island has been an issue ever since.
The latest move has been welcomed by some but criticised by others.
Among the critics was Coun Galley, who condemned the decision, arguing that it comes at the direct expense of communities across the UK facing severe economic and social challenges.
He said: “Blackpool needs new jobs, better transport, and more investment in our young people.
“To spend £101 million to give us access to what was already ours, with no tangible benefit to British citizens, is insanity. Every pound spent on this deal is a pound not spent on regenerating towns like ours.”
Coun Galley argued that while international diplomacy plays a role in foreign policy, it should not come at the cost of investing in British towns that have been left behind for too long.
He said: “We have children growing up in poverty, high streets in decline, and urgent need for improvements in housing, healthcare and education here in Blackpool. The Government must get its priorities straight. £101 million a year could transform towns like ours—but instead, it’s being sent abroad.”
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