BRITAIN has secured an agreement with Mauritius to give sovereignty of the Chagos Islands in exchange for the continued use of a joint military base with the US.

Negotiations over sovereignty began in 2022 after the International Court of Justice, the United Nations general assembly and the International Tribunal of the Law of Seas found that Britain unlawfully separated the archipelago of more than 60 islands before granting Mauritius independence.

In a statement today, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “Today’s agreement secures this vital military base for the future.