Labour scolded for handing over Chagos Islands in 'ridiculous' move: 'They're ashamed of British history!'

Labour scolded for handing over Chagos Islands in 'ridiculous' move: 'They're ashamed of British history!'

WATCH NOW: Andrea Jenkyns reacts to Labour's surrender of the Chagos Islands

GB News
Georgia Pearce

By Georgia Pearce


Published: 03/10/2024

- 19:02

The Prime Minister has handed back the British-owned Chagos Islands to Mauritius after 200 years

Sir Keir Starmer has been slammed for surrendering the British-owned Chagos Islands to Mauritius after 200 years, with the decision branded "ridiculous" by Dame Andrea Jenkyns.

The Prime Minister announced today that the British-owned territory will be handed back after a loss of support for the UK's claim by international communities, and a unanimous vote defeat in the United Nations.


In a statement, the Government said: "To enable this partnership, the UK will provide a package of financial support to Mauritius.

"This will include an indexed annual payment for the duration of the agreement and the establishment of a transformational infrastructure partnership, underpinned by UK grant funding."

Keir Starmer, Dame Andrea Jenkyns

Dame Andrea Jenkyns has hit out at Keir Starmer for his surrender of the Chagos Islands after 200 years

PA / GB News

Following the latest Labour scandal involving party donor and peer Lord Waheed Alli, former Conservative MP Dame Andrea Jenkyns claimed that the timing of the decision is "suspicious", suggesting the PM may be hoping to "distract" from the fallout of the "freebie" outrage.

Jenkyns told GB News: "The issue is, number one, it's probably a tactic of 'no more to see here', regarding all the sleaze that's been surrounding Starmer.

"It's moved the story onto something else, so I think the timing of it, I'm quite suspicious of personally."

Criticising the Labour Party further, Jenkyns claimed that the left is progressively deterring Britons from "being proud" of our history, highlighting their calls for "trigger warnings" on historical literature and discussions on the British Empire.

Chagos Islands

The Prime Minister has handed back the British-owned Chagos Islands to Mauritius after 200 years

GB News

Jenkyns fumed: "For years now, we know that the left has been putting trigger notices on our literature, the Empire has been a thing not to be proud of, where the left is concerned, and that it's a thing to be ashamed of.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

"They want us to pay money to these former countries of ours in our Empire as well, so I think this is a next step for them, I'm afraid, and it's deeply concerning."

Fearing for China's involvement in the Chagos Islands now that the UK has surrendered the territory, Jenkyns warned that they will be "keen to sink their teeth" into the islands, and the major UK military base there.

Jenkyns explained: "As we all know, China will be desperate to get their teeth into this, so the strategic element is a concern.

"But it also shows you how Starmer's got zero judgement - not only on international affairs but on domestic as well."

Dame Andrea Jenkyns

Dame Andrea Jenkyns warned that China will 'sink their teeth' into the Chagos Islands now they have been surrendered

GB News

Joined by GB News Political Editor Christopher Hope, Jenkyns was questioned on whether the Tories "are also to blame", as the initial talks on the Chagos Islands were sparked by former Home Secretary James Cleverly.

Unaware of Cleverly's plan, Jenkyns admitted: "I wasn't even aware, so I don't know if that was kept hush-hush at the time from when I was an MP, but had I known that at the time, I would have spoken out about it.

"To be honest with you, I just think how stupid it is of James to have even started those talks as well."

She added: "Especially if you look at what's going on globally, these strategic locations, these allies, we need to be working together, not handing it back and leaving them open to the likes of China jumping in there. So I'd say whether it's James or Labour, it is a ridiculous thing to do."

You may like