Richard Ekins and Tom Grant

Professor Richard Ekins KC (hon) is Head of the Judicial Power Project and Dr Tom Grant is Visiting Fellow at Policy Exchange. They are co-authors of the Policy Exchange report ‘Sovereignty and Security in the Indian Ocean: Why the UK should not cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius’

Today

Richard Ekins and Tom Grant

Handing over the Chagos Islands is a grave mistake

The British government’s decision to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is a profound strategic error, rooted in a misunderstanding of international law and a failure to protect the UK’s vital national interests. Surrendering sovereignty over the Islands will have a deleterious effect on British and allied interests just as international strategic competition intensifies.