A political blame game over the Chagos Islands’ return to Mauritius has escalated, with former Prime Minister Liz Truss criticizing Boris Johnson for the situation. Truss alleges that Johnson initiated discussions that ultimately led to the UK's agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands. The islands, particularly Diego Garcia, host a strategically crucial UK-U.S. military base. Truss claims Johnson asked her to start negotiations with Mauritius while he was Prime Minister, a process that has led to concerns over potential impacts on Western security interests in the region​

The current Labour government, under Keir Starmer, has formalized the handover in an effort to settle longstanding legal disputes, though they assert they had to act due to the “legal mess” left by previous Conservative administrations. There are fears that this decision might lead to increased influence from China in the Indian Ocean, which could destabilize the region’s strategic balance. This issue has sparked criticism from Conservative MPs like James Cleverly, who accused the decision of being "weak" on national security​

This latest development has added to tensions within the UK government, with both Truss and Johnson’s camps trading blame over who is responsible for ceding control over the islands.