MAURITIUS has rejected an agreement brokered by Keir Starmer to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, leaving weeks to finalise a deal before Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The deal, originally signed with Mauritius’ former government, involves the UK leasing the Diego Garcia military base for millions of pounds while ceding the islands to Mauritius.
Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Mauritius’ new prime minister, and his deputy, Paul Bérenger, have raised concerns about aspects of the agreement. Ramgoolam stated he “did not agree” with parts of the deal, while Bérenger criticised the UK for “nitpicking about the compensation,” according to The Times.
The Mauritian government has sought increased compensation and questioned the 99-year lease terms for Diego Garcia, a US military base hosting B-52 bombers and other critical assets. The US, wary of Mauritius' ties to China, has expressed concerns that the base’s security might be compromised under Mauritian sovereignty, the newspaper reported.
Despite the resistance, Starmer remains committed to complying with a 2019 UN resolution awarding sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius.
The UK has dispatched its national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, to Mauritius and Washington DC to push for the deal’s finalisation. The Biden administration has supported the agreement, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken offering economic incentives to Mauritius in a bid to secure the deal.
Ramgoolam, however, has stood firm, stating that Mauritius has made a counter-proposal and will continue negotiations, The Times reported. “We do not agree with certain things contained in the agreement concluded on October 3,” he told Mauritian MPs after speaking with Blinken.
The Chagos Islands, separated from Mauritius by the UK in 1968, have been at the centre of controversy since their native inhabitants, the Chagossians, were forcibly removed to make way for the US base. Under the proposed deal, Chagossians would be allowed to visit the islands but not return permanently to Diego Garcia.
The UK government remains optimistic, stating that the Mauritian prime minister is willing to finalise an agreement that benefits both parties.
English questioning rose from 20 per cent to 31 per cent, and racist jokes from 36 per cent to 41 per cent
Workplace violence against Black and ethnic minority employees rises to 26 per cent
Highlights
The Trades Union Congress surveyed 1,044 Black, Asian and ethnic minority employees. The results show clear increases in racist behaviour between 2020 and 2026.
Workers having their English questioned rose from 20 per cent to 31 per cent. Those hearing racist jokes went up from 36 per cent to 41 per cent.
Racist comments made to workers or around them increased from 31 per cent to 36 per cent.
Violence and threats
The most worrying finding involves physical threats and violence, which jumped from 19 per cent to 26 per cent.
Racist posts shared on workplace social media grew from 22 per cent to 28 per cent. Racist materials being passed around increased from 19 per cent to 25 per cent.
Beyond direct racism, many workers face unfair treatment. Nearly half (45 per cent) said they get harder or less popular jobs.
Over two in five (43 per cent) receive unfair criticism. The same number (41 per cent) stay stuck on temporary contracts.
Work conditions got worse too. Those not getting enough hours rose from 30 per cent to 40 per cent.
Workers denied overtime went from 30 per cent to 37 per cent. Being kept on short-term contracts increased from 33 per cent to 41 per cent.
Direct managers cause most unfair treatment (35 per cent), followed by other managers (19 per cent).
Bullying mainly comes from direct managers (30 per cent) and colleagues (28 per cent). Racist behaviour mostly comes from colleagues (33 per cent) and customers or clients (22 per cent).
Paul Nowak, TUC general secretary, said: "Black and ethnic minority workers are facing appalling and growing levels of racism and unfair treatment in Britain. This racism is plaguing the labour market – and it's getting worse."
The TUC is calling for urgent government action to tackle the problem. The union wants ring-fenced funding for the Equality and Human Rights Commission to enforce workplace protections.
It is pushing for mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting for companies with over 50 employees.
The TUC says the Employment Rights Act, which makes employers responsible for protecting workers from harassment by customers and clients, will be an important step forward.
The union also wants employers to treat racial harassment as a health and safety issue and monitor ethnicity data across recruitment, pay and promotions.