Lee Anderson holds head in hands as Labour activist raises ‘£22bn black hole’ in Chagos surrender row: ‘Oh dear’

"We've got to deal with the £22bn black hole", Worrall argued on the programme.

Lee responded sharply: "That is a British overseas territory, we're giving it away and paying £18 billion for the pleasure of it."

Labour has since disputed the £18 billion figure.

The Chagos Islands, home to the joint UK-US Diego Garcia military base, hosts critical defence infrastructure including a top-secret satellite system.

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Senior defence sources warn that the system, used to direct British and US nuclear missiles, requires physical protection and British control of the island's electromagnetic spectrum.

The Automated Digital Network System 3 (ADNS 3), shared by both navies, is part of the crucial 'Nuclear Firing Chain'.

Sources fear the proposed deal could allow other countries to use the spectrum, potentially compromising these sensitive communications systems.

Labour Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has defended the handover, citing national security concerns about the UK's continued ownership of the islands.

His official spokesman claimed the electromagnetic spectrum at Diego Garcia, which enables secure communications, would not operate without a deal.

The Telegraph revealed this justification was previously proposed by Philippe Sands, an international lawyer and long-time friend of Starmer who has represented Mauritius in claims over the islands.

Sands had written in 2023 that UK telecommunications services operating from Chagos could be deemed unlawful.

Former defence secretary Ben Wallace dismissed the government's justification as "a totally fabricated excuse by the Cabinet Office."

Conservative critics warn the deal could allow Chinese interference in the sensitive military facilities.

Tom Tugendhat, former security minister, called the government's public presentation of the deal "nonsense."

The settlement could prevent Royal Navy access to a buffer zone Mauritius plans to establish around the islands.

Without Western naval protection, sources fear China could get close enough to sensitive military installations.

In 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled Britain's continued administration of the islands was unlawful.

The UN General Assembly subsequently ratified this ruling, determining the islands rightfully belonged to Mauritius.

Labour activist Worrall highlighted the historical context, stating: "They owned it originally back in the '60s, then we did a secret deal with the US. The Chagossians were cruelly booted off back then."

Ben Wallace countered that many UN judges behind the ruling came from "totalitarian states including China."