Nigel Farage lashes out at British military base, questioning deal | Politics | News

Nigel Farage erupted in the House of Commons after raising questions over the validity of the UK’s agreement regarding the Diego Garcia military base.

The furious rant has erupted following reports that the British High Commission in Mauritius is being bugged.

During Foreign Office question time in the House of Commons on Tuesday (October 22), Farage said: “Following the last government’s mistaken start to negotiations over sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, it has emerged that the British High Commission and others have been bugged by the Mauritian government.”

Farage added: “If the police investigation is confirmed, we will see that Mauritius, at least their government, are the bad actors.

“In light of this, is the 99-year lease you received for Diego Garcia worth even the paper it is written on?”

His comments follow Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a move that has sparked debate over security in the region.

The Chagos Islands were under British control for more than 200 years, but the islands’ inhabitants were expelled in the late 1960s to make way for the Diego Garcia military base, which is shared with the United States.

However, Foreign Secretary Stephen Doughty responded to Farage’s concerns by saying reports of bugging were being taken seriously.

He added: “We of course note these reports with great concern, but gentlemen will understand that I do not intend to comment on an ongoing police investigation.”

Doughty also assured MPs that the current negotiations are not related to the historical conversations, which are under investigation.

He also defended the treaty reached with Mauritius, saying: “We are absolutely confident that we have reached a treaty that meets both our national security objectives, cuts off migration routes, but also fundamentally respects the interests of the Chagossian people.”

The debate also touched on concerns about Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific, with Conservative MP Gregory Stafford asking whether ceding the Chagos Islands to Mauritius could allow China to expand its influence in the region.

Doughty strongly rejected these claims, responding: “There is absolutely no way that we would sign a treaty—and neither would the United States—that would jeopardize any of our security interests or the interests of our allies.”