UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – UK officials spend £75k on luxury travel during Chagos talks, raising concerns as Britain prepares to hand over the islands at a cost of up to £18bn.
As reported by The Telegraph, civil servants spent nearly £75,000 in expenses while negotiating the handover of the Chagos Islands.
Where did the £75,000 in civil service expenses go?
Diplomats from the Foreign Office charged the public thousands for luxury travel, hotel stays, and transport while negotiating in Mauritius.
The handover of the Indian Ocean archipelago will cost Britain an estimated £9-£18 billion, on top of these expenses.
According to data from the Foreign Office, a team of eight members accumulated a £75,000 bill. A large amount of spending was allocated to 19 flights on British Airways and Air Mauritius, 17 of which were in business class.
Airfare costs totaled £68,452 for the team, with the most expensive flight being a £6,338 return trip on British Airways in December.
The team also spent £3,458 on hotel accommodations, with rooms in Mauritius costing up to £230 per night.
The remaining expenses amounted to £237 for meals, £104 for taxis and rail fares, and £1,444 in fees for flight alterations and bookings.
The discussions took place in late August and mid-December, during the Indian Ocean’s typically warm 27C climate.
What did James Cartlidge say about Labour’s spending on Chagos talks?
James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, stated,
“Taxpayers will be horrified to hear that Labour are wasting so much money to negotiate wasting a whole lot more.”
He said,
“Rachel Reeves’s brand new OVM isn’t looking at Chagos because, according to the Treasury, treaties are ‘outside their remit.’”
Mr Cartlidge added,
“That needs to change – wasting tens of thousands of pounds gadding about to waste billions of pounds renting islands we already own is far from value for money.”
How did the Foreign Office defend the £75k Chagos negotiation expenses?
According to the Foreign Office, all flights complied with internal guidelines, which allow business class seats only for journeys longer than 10 hours.
According to the statement, hotel rooms were only booked when the High Commissioner’s residence could not accommodate the negotiators.
The department said in a statement,
“In-person negotiations are essential to delivering such a complex agreement that is in the UK’s national interests. To minimise cost, the negotiating rounds were split between the UK and Mauritius,”
What did the Foreign Office spokesman say about the negotiations and UK security?
A Foreign Office spokesman said the discussions in person
“were vital to delivering an agreement that secures the full operation of the base on Diego Garcia”,
adding,
“The UK Government has robust rules in place to ensure any expenditure is carefully checked and provides value-for-money for the taxpayer.”
They added,
“As much as possible, the negotiators stayed at the High Commissioner’s residence while in Mauritius for the negotiations. The agreement is rooted in a rational and hard-headed determination to protect UK security. Once signed it will protect the base on Diego Garcia and cement UK and US presence in the Indo-Pacific for generations to come.”
What did Mauritius want from the UK in the controversial Chagos deal?
The controversial deal, negotiated by Labour, will see the UK contribute an estimated £9 billion to £18 billion.
Number 10 would hand over control to Mauritius, a nation 1,500 miles away from the archipelago that has never governed it.
Under the deal, the UK would lease Diego Garcia, the largest island, for 99 years, with the site serving as a crucial military base for the US Air Force.
The deal has faced strong opposition in both the UK and US, but it was unexpectedly approved by Donald Trump at the beginning of this month.
After the US president’s approval, Mauritian negotiators from Mauritius presented new demands for increased lease payments and a new development fund.