Richard Ekins and Tom Grant

Professor Richard Ekins KC (hon) is Head of Policy Exchange’s 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’

Friday

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.