Starmer’s specious defence of the Chagos deal

SIR – The Government’s huge majority means that the disgraceful decision to hand over ownership of the Chagos archipelago (Letters, May 27) will go ahead.

As a former chief of defence intelligence, I do not accept that the move is “absolutely vital for our defence and intelligence”, as the Prime Minister claims.

I also think it pays little heed to the fate of the Chagossians, who we treated so badly in the 1960s.

There was no urgent need to make this decision, as there was no legal imperative. Paying a large sum of money for what was a speculative land grab by Mauritius seems imprudent.

Admiral Lord West of Spithead (Lab) London SW1

SIR – In his article (Comment, May 23) decrying the handover of the Chagos Islands, Daniel Hannan concludes: “Shame on them [the Government] and shame on us for letting them get away with it.” But what are we to do? With its landslide majority, this Government is enormously powerful, despite low popular support. It is doing untold damage that we, the electorate, are powerless to stop.

A general election, unlikely to be held before 2029, will only see Labour ousted from power if a credible alternative presents itself.

Georgina Stanger

Caerwent, Monmouthshire

SIR – Political parties can be haunted for decades by a scandal. Started in 1947 by the Labour government, a project to grow groundnuts (peanuts) in Tanganyika was eventually abandoned after much treasure had been expended on it. Well into the 1950s and even 1960s, the jibe of “peanuts” could sting.

Labour has scandals queuing up to be at the forefront of future hatchet jobs, but “Chagos” has a nice ring to it.

John Lamble Cambridge