Ministers are now facing allegations that they misled Parliament with a controversial 'accountancy trick''SHORT CHANGED' Britain’s Chagos Islands handover will cost taxpayers ten times more than Keir Starmer said it wouldBRITAIN’S Chagos Islands handover will cost taxpayers ten times more than Sir Keir Starmer let on, newly unearthed figures claim. Official estimates reveal the bill for giving the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius is not £3.4billion as promised, but actually close to £35billion. Britain is to hand over sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory while paying billions of pounds to continue using the Diego Garcia base, a key military facility used by Britain and the United States. Back in February, Sir Keir Starmer dismissed Tory warnings of a £30billion cost and branded a £9bn to £18bn estimate “absolutely wide of the mark”. "The costs compare favourably with other international base agreements, and the UK-US base on Diego Garcia is larger, in a more strategic location.”Starmer signs deal with Mauritius to hand over Chagos Islands
