Earlier today, in his first contribution at the Despatch Box as a Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Andrew Rosindell M.P. urged the Government to clarifity where the funding for their ill thought out deal to hand the Chagos Islands away to Mauritius will come from.
The Chagossian people have had no say on this deal and now the British tax payer will be paying the price.
Andrew Rosindell M.P. stated the following on social media:
Today, I was honoured to make my first contribution at the Despatch Box as Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs. My thanks to @KemiBadenoch and @PritiPatel for their trust and support in putting me forward for this important role as part of His Majesty's Opposition team in @HouseofCommons. The Labour government's policy in handing away the British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Islands), which is UK sovereign territory, without consultation with the Chagossian people, is shameful and will cost Britain dear! At Foreign, Commonwealth and Development questions, I called on the Government to provide clarity on their ill-advised and rushed decision to yield the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Where is the funding for this coming from? Our International Aid budget, perhaps? Yet again, the Government failed to provide any answers. I look forward to holding Ministers to account on strategically vital matters, such as this, in the defence of our great nation and in UK's national interest going forward!
From X, Andrew Rosindell M.P., Shadow Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
The Government appear to be in a complete tailspin over whether they will release the costs that will fall to the British taxpayer as a result of the rushed deal to give away the British Chagos islands. Given the reported trip to Mauritius by the special envoy, Jonathan Powell, can the Minister at least confirm today which budget the costs will come from, including whether they intend to use the aid budget? Will she tell the House how much it will cost each year and in total, and if the British Chagossians will actually have a genuine say? Would it not make more sense to keep these strategically important islands under the Crown, rather than the secretive deal negotiated? No deal is better than a bad deal.
Andrew Rosindell M.P., Shadow Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
