Civil servants splashed almost £75,000 on business class flights, hotel stays and taxis during negotiations to surrender the Chagos Islands.
Foreign Office diplomats burdened taxpayers with the substantial bill for travel between Britain and Mauritius during talks to hand over the strategically important Indian Ocean archipelago.
The expenses come on top of the estimated £9-£18 billion price that Britain will pay when relinquishing control of the islands, reports The Telegraph.
A team of just eight negotiators accumulated the £75,000 bill, according to information obtained through freedom of information laws.
The Chagos Islands
FLICKR/PACritics have called for Rachel Reeves's new Office for Value for Money (OVM) to investigate the spending.
The bulk of the spending was on air travel, with officials racking up £68,452 in fares for 19 flights on British Airways and Air Mauritius.
Of these flights, 17 were business class, with the most expensive being a £6,338 return BA flight in December. Hotel accommodation in Mauritius cost taxpayers a further £3,458, with rooms priced at up to £230 per night.
Additional expenses included £237 on meals, £104 for taxis and rail fares, and £1,444 in fees for flight changes and bookings.
LATEST ON THE CHAGOS DEAL
Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge slammed the move
Getty
The negotiations took place in late August and mid-December, when temperatures in the Indian Ocean islands averaged 27C.
During the same period, Britain endured seasonal storms while southern England experienced its wettest autumn in a century, according to the Met Office.
James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, condemned the spending, saying: "Taxpayers will be horrified to hear that Labour are wasting so much money in order to negotiate wasting a whole lot more.
"Rachel Reeves's brand new OVM isn't looking at Chagos because, according to the Treasury, treaties are 'outside their remit.'"
Cartlidge, the MP for South Suffolk, added: "That needs to change - wasting tens of thousands of pounds gadding about to waste billions of pounds renting islands we already own is far from value for money."
The negotiations have proved highly controversial in both the UK and US, though they recently received unexpected approval from Donald Trump.
The Foreign Office defended the expenses, stating that "in-person negotiations are essential to delivering such a complex agreement that is in the UK's national interests."
Officials said all flights complied with "strict rules" that business class can only be used for journeys exceeding 10 hours. They added that hotel rooms were only booked when there wasn't enough space at the High Commissioner's residence.
The Chagos Islands deal was approved by Donald Trump
GettyUnder the controversial agreement, Britain would relinquish control to Mauritius, which is 1,500 miles from the archipelago and has never previously governed it.
The UK would then lease Diego Garcia, the largest island and a key US air force base, for 99 years.
Following Trump's approval, Mauritian negotiators have reportedly demanded even larger lease payments and additional development funding.
