Starmer's £9bn Chagos Splurge Shows Shocking Disregard for Struggling Brits

As millions of Britons struggle to meet £850 emergency expenses, government commits billions to unnecessary pandering to international courts

Between 22% to 38% of British adults say they couldn’t afford to pay an unexpected but necessary expense of £850.

If these households knew such a bill was coming, would they spend their savings on unnecessary vanity projects instead? Of course not.

Yet this is precisely what the UK Government appears to be doing.

While Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced increased defence spending of £13.4 billion annually from 2027, his government simultaneously plans to commit £9 billion of taxpayers' money to an unnecessary arrangement over the Chagos Islands.

This £9 billion commitment stems from a non-binding recommendation by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to return the islands to Mauritius. Importantly, this is not a legal obligation but a political choice, driven by an ideological preference for international legal frameworks over fiscal responsibility.

The Treasury itself admits it doesn't know how it will fund this discretionary £9 billion commitment. Foreign Officeminister Stephen Doughty suggests it could come from the under-pressure defence budget.

Ultimately, there is no legal imperative to rush the Chagos deal. It does not need to be done now, especially as we face dire budget restraints.

At a time when millions of British households are struggling with basic financial needs, such cavalier treatment of public finances sends precisely the wrong message about priorities.

Something doesn’t add up here.