Chagos Islands deal lawyer Philippe Sands: ‘I’ve been no influence on Keir Starmer'
Philippe Sands, an international lawyer and friend of Keir Starmer’s, has been involved in bringing the case against the UK to hand the Chagos islands back to Mauritius - but he insists he’s not discussed the case with the Prime Minister.
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One of the key lawyers representing Mauritius in its legal battle against the United Kingdom over the Chagos Islands has told The News Agents that headlines over the Chagos deal “bear no relation to the reality of what is actually happening”.
The deal will see the UK give up its sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, a remote archipelago in the Indian Ocean, after a long dispute.
Philippe Sands, an international lawyer with a long history of representing Mauritius in its legal battle, says the deal is “not about handing sovereignty back” but rather, is about “recognising the sovereignty of Mauritius”.
One of the biggest controversies around the deal - and the headlines Sands refers to - is why the deal will see Britain give billions of pounds to the Mauritian government, as well as hand back land.
“I suspect that when the agreement becomes public, people will say, ‘what's the fuss about it?’
“The headlines bear no relation to the reality of what is actually happening,” Sands tells Emily Maitlis on The News Agents.
As part of the deal, the UK will continue to lease one of the islands, Diego Garcia - which Sands describes as “a site of a strategically crucial UK-US military airbase.”
Sands is also a friend of Keir Starmer’s, although he insists the two have never discussed the Chagos deal.
“I’ve been no influence on Keir Starmer, and I haven't seen him since the election. We have never talked about the Chagos archipelago.”