Close Friend of Prime Minister Keir Starmer Received Millions in Chagos Islands Negotiations
Philippe Sands KC, who describes himself as a "great friend" of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, shared in an £8.3 million payment from the Mauritian government for his work negotiating the controversial Chagos Islands sovereignty deal. Official documents reveal that Sands, acting as chief legal counsel to Mauritius between 2010 and 2024, secured the agreement that will see Britain hand back sovereignty of the strategically important archipelago, also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Controversial Deal and Substantial Payments
The agreement includes leasing the Diego Garcia military base to the United Kingdom for 99 years at an average annual cost of £101 million. While the exact figure Sands received remains undisclosed, his role as chief counsel suggests he earned the largest portion of the £8.3 million paid from the Mauritian state budget to legal teams working on the cession. One international lawyer indicated that a substantial bonus would have been paid upon the deal's completion.
Budget documents from the Mauritius Prime Minister's Office show varying annual payments to the legal teams, with the highest being over £1.3 million in 2022/23. A fixed fee of £2 million was earned for work between 2010 and 2015.
Political Connections and Criticism
Sands' close relationship with Prime Minister Starmer spans more than two decades, beginning when both were founding members of Matrix Chambers. He later campaigned for Starmer to become Labour leader and described him as "generous, humorous and empathetic." Sands also maintains a close association with Attorney General Lord Hermer, with whom he worked at Matrix Chambers for ten years.
Labour MP Graham Stringer has branded Sands a "mercenary," accusing him of "pretending to care about rights" while making a fortune representing foreign interests. Stringer told the Daily Mail: "Philippe Sands is making a fortune representing the interests of a foreign country. Sands, the Prime Minister and the Attorney General all believe that international courts, dominated by judges from China, are more important than our own democracy."
Legal Controversies and International Implications
In 2022, Sands was controversially photographed hoisting a Mauritius flag over the Chagos Islands. During a 2023 talk at the University of Cambridge, he joked about "humiliating Britain completely." He has compared Britain's possession of the archipelago to the Russian invasion of Crimea and argued in his book The Last Colony that Britain's promotion of self-determination for the Falkland Islands but not the Chagossians represents racial discrimination.
One of the International Court of Justice judges who ruled in 2019 that Britain should give the islands to Mauritius "as rapidly as possible" is a former Chinese government official who supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This has raised concerns about foreign influence in the proceedings.
Chagossian Opposition and Legal Challenges
Beatrice Pompe, who obtained a High Court injunction temporarily preventing the UK government from signing the deal with Mauritius, called Sands a "snake." She claimed his substantial fees demonstrate that he "pretended to work for the good of the Chagossian people but was in it for himself."
Jean-Francois Nellan, a campaigner from Chagossian Voices, questioned whether Sands' close links to Starmer influenced the government's decision to rush through the deal. "Why are they rushing this? Is it because the Prime Minister is friends with Philippe Sands?" he asked following the deal's announcement last year.
Political Reactions and Security Concerns
Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel told the Daily Mail: "Keir Starmer's 'great friend' Philippe Sands is key to the Chagos Surrender that is undermining our national interest and our security. Like Starmer, Peter Mandelson, Jonathan Powell and everyone else associated with the Chagos scandal, I believe that Sands is happy to sell out our country."
The Conservatives have described the deal as "an act of national self-harm" that leaves the country "more exposed to China" due to Beijing's ties with Mauritius. Former US President Donald Trump initially branded it an "act of great stupidity" but later acknowledged it was the "best" deal Britain could have made, despite his opposition stemming from the strategic importance of the Diego Garcia military base.
Historical Context and Future Implications
The UK purchased the Chagos Islands for £3 million in 1968, but Mauritius has long argued it was forced to relinquish the territory to gain independence from Britain. The deal, signed on 22 May last year despite last-minute legal challenges, could ultimately cost British taxpayers up to £30 billion.
Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam praised the agreement as a "great victory for the Mauritian nation," stating: "I have always said we must obtain our sovereignty over the totality of the Chagos, including Diego Garcia. The Chagossians must be able to live once again on their islands."
An FCDO spokesperson defended the agreement, stating: "The Diego Garcia military base is crucial to the security of the UK and our key allies, and this treaty guarantees that UK-US operations at the base will continue for generations to come."
