Leon Neal/Getty Images
Brexiteers were up in arms about Britain handing over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in October – but it turns out their pet project was probably to blame.
A deal struck last month will see the UK hand over the archipelago in a historic move, ending decades of often fractious negotiations between the two countries.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the benefits of the deal included closing “a potential illegal migration route”, and confirmed that the UK will provide a package of financial support to Mauritius, including annual payments and infrastructure investment.
He received a lot of flack over the move, even though the wheels had been firmly set in motion by the previous government.
The deal was, in fact, probably only made possible by the UK’s exit from the European Union.
Speaking to Politico, Philippe Sands, a legal adviser to Mauritius in the Chagos case, said the General Assembly would not have concerned itself with the matter had it not been for the split.
“Brexit dropped from the heavens, quite frankly,” he said.
“There is no question that, but for Brexit and Boris Johnson, the resolution would have had less chance of reaching the General Assembly, or being adopted with such a large majority.”
A former civil servant at the Foreign Office concurred, saying EU countries would have previously offered support to the UK and urged its allies to do the same.
“It was widely viewed at the time in the Foreign Office that all EU countries and their allies ordinarily vote down such a motion affecting another member state at the General Assembly,” they said.
“But post-Brexit we lost that protection, so the U.K. didn’t benefit from the EU votes and those of its allies, and hence the wheels being set in motion to Chagos leaving today.”
“In a way this is the first element of Brexit leading to the UK losing territory. It showed how that initial grab for purported sovereignty might actually lead to its diminution.”
Related: Five reasons we are certain that Kamala Harris will win the US election
