Richard Tice says his party will ignore Keir Starmer’s Chagos deal and halt payments to Mauritius should it go ahead and Reform UK form the next government.
Speaking on GB News, the Reform MP was quizzed by Camilla Tominey after the prime minister heard positive sounds from President Trump regarding the move.
Given Reform’s support for the US President, Camilla asked Richard Tice if his party is in a conundrum as a result.
“It’s not what he [Trump] said”, Tice said on GB News.
Reform UK will not recognise the terms of the deal should they win power, Richard Tice said on GB News
GB NEWS / PA
“He said ‘we’re looking at the details’, but what I can tell you is, the British Government under Labour have not asked the Americans to pay for any of this absurd giveaway.
“I can tell you that from very senior Republican sources. This is the worst property deal in history.
The deal will see the UK hand over the Chagos Islands to MauritiusGetty“We’re giving away our own freehold and we’re paying Mauritius to take it. This is in breach of the 1965 agreement. What we’re, Reform, is saying is that this is the worst deal in history.
“We’re not going to accept it when we win the next general election. We will rip that deal up. We will stop the payments. We will not recognise it.
“We will make it very clear to Mauritius that this is an invalid deal and they are in breach of that 1965 agreement when the UK paid £3 million back then. That’s about £75 million in today’s money to give up any possible claims they may or may not have had in that time.
“They’re in breach.”
Richard Tice joined Camilla Tominey on GB News
GB NEWS
During a meeting with Keir Starmer last month, Trump said America would be inclined to back Britain in its efforts to hand over the territory.
Tice said Trump’s apparent relaxed nature could be due to his focus being elsewhere as he grapples with issues relating to Ukraine, China and North Korea among others.
He told GB News: “He’s got so many bigger things on his plate, that is the reality.
“He’s got Ukraine, he’s got China, he’s got North Korea, he’s got Iran.
The deal includes a plan to lease back the US-UK military base on Diego Garcia at British taxpayers’ expense.
The UK has offered Trump an effective veto on the deal due to its implications for US security, but Trump suggested it might not be needed.
Speaking alongside Starmer in the Oval Office, he said: "We're going to have some discussions about that very soon, and I have a feeling it's going to work out very well."
He continued: "They're talking about a very long-term, powerful lease, a very strong lease, about 140 years actually.
"That's a long time, and I think we'll be inclined to go along with your country."
