Peter recently probed Foreign Office Ministers about which government department would foot the bill for the Chagos Island deal with Mauritius.
Peter believes that it wholly disrespectful to MPs that the Chagos Deal has been signed by the President of the United States, but there remains no clarity from the Government on the details.
Peter asked:
“Given that there is no binding legal basis for the ceding of the Chagos islands and that the deal will cost the hard-pressed British taxpayer north of £9 billion, £18 billion or possibly £50 billion a year, will the Secretary of State confirm what total financial liabilities will be brought to the UK and whether they will be funded from the uplift in the defence budget announced in the spring statement?”
The Minister responded:
“I have answered those questions on a number of occasions, including earlier. I have been very clear that a financial element is crucial to protect the operation of such a vital base for our security and for the security of our allies. Once the treaty is signed, it will be put before the Houses for scrutiny before ratification in the usual way, and that will include costs. We will not scrimp on security: protecting our interests and those of our allies is the most important thing.”
Peter believes that any treaty, regarding the Chagos Islands, must be discussed and voted on by MPs to ensure that taxpayer’s money is not be spent on surrendering British sovereignty.
