Britain’s latest diplomatic acrobatics over the Chagos Islands archipelago read like the final act of a colonial farce - one part restorative justice, one part strategic backflip, and a dash of absurdity for good measure. The Government has been working to close a deal which will hand over nearly all of the disputed territory to Mauritius while keeping Diego Garcia - home to a crucial U.S. military base - on a 99-year lease. The new Labour government took over the reins after the previous Tory administration got the deal close to the line.

Under the deal, Britain is expected to shell out a reported £90 million per year in rent (and possibly much more when inflation and front-loading is factored in) to keep the U.S. military base operational on the atoll - a price tag which is raising eyebrows at a time when the Government has alienated pensioners, farmers, business leaders and a whole host of other groups with policies aimed at shoring up the public finances. Opposition parties smell blood over a deal seen as symbolic of a government happy to see Britain’s role in the world shrinking. Will the charge stick?

It’s certainly true the Islands have been subject to an advisory ruling from the International Court of Justice which recommends they be handed to Mauritius, and it’s clear Starmer, with his background as an international human rights lawyer, takes this seriously. In an ideal world, so would the leaders of every nation. Unfortunately, such institutions are often disregarded by both allies and adversaries - the US’s recent sanctions on the International Criminal Court being a prime example.

The noise is coming most notably Nigel Farage’s Reform who - of course - argue everything was better in the past when Britain was indisputably a giant world power after WWII. Farage says Britain has been taken for a ride by Mauritius, with costs seemingly escalating, and warns the move will anger Donald Trump just as he is threatening most other major economies with tariffs. Even Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has tried to get in on the action, despite Starmer having an obvious defence it was her Tory colleagues who started the whole saga.

In a week Reform has taken the lead with YouGov, it re-focuses minds on the charge Starmer is ‘a lawyer, not a leader’ and someone who – bizarrely given he is Prime Minister and deftly seized control of Corbyn’s Labour back in 2020 – disdains the art of politics, preferring a dull, grey, managerial approach. Time will tell if the public begins to view the Chagos deal as evidence the PM’s critics are right.