The true cost of Starmer’s Chagos deal

Brian Cox on why words don’t hurt him | Inside Ukraine’s fight against Russian submarines

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Monday, 11 August 2025 Welcome to From the Editor – the very best from our newsroom delivered to your inbox daily. Labour ministers are facing claims that they misled Parliament and the press with an “accountancy trick” after it was confirmed that Sir Keir Starmer’s Chagos Islands deal will cost 10 times more than he claimed. Tony Diver, our Associate Political Editor, explains why a story that we revealed exclusively in this newsletter in May has returned – and predicts that the Prime Minister faces weeks more political pain. I’d love to hear what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback here. Chris Evans, Editor P.S. You can enjoy three months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. Today’s headlines White working-class pupils ‘written off’ by society, admits Phillipson Israel kills Al Jazeera journalists in ‘targeted’ attack outside Gaza hospital Wildfire breaks out at Arthur’s Seat BP defies Ed Miliband to reopen North Sea oil field Ministers ‘lose track’ of 150,000 migrants ‘Don’t share pictures of shoplifters – it breaks data protection rules’ Second F-35B jet forced to make emergency landing Free speech is under threat It must be defended. If you agree, this is the time to join us. Enjoy three months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. Subscribe now   Chagos deal to cost 10 times what Starmer claimed Tony Diver Associate Political Editor   Sir Keir Starmer must have thought the headlines about the Chagos Islands had gone away finally. For the past nine months, his deal to give away the islands to Mauritius has become a millstone around his neck, arousing fury among both Left- and Right-wing voters. But The Telegraph has revisited the deal – which involves ceding a British overseas territory and leasing back an airbase – and we have a startling revelation about its cost. In May, when he announced that he had struck an agreement with Mauritius, Sir Keir claimed it would cost £3.4bn over 99 years – a small sum for a country of the UK’s spending power. Immediately, there were cries of indignation from the Conservatives, who said the true cost was likely to be north of £30bn. Those estimates were, in turn, disputed by the Foreign Office. However, we can reveal that the Government’s own internal figures show that the Tories were correct. A freedom of information request to the Government Actuary’s Department shows that the deal was originally costed at £34.7bn – or 10 times the bill announced by Sir Keir. Writing for The Telegraph, Dame Priti Patel last night accused the Prime Minister of lying to Parliament and the public, and of using wily accounting techniques to play down the cost of his “surrender”. The figures show that officials were told to downrate the cost in line with inflation, then again to minimise costs at the end of the 99-year lease. When Parliament returns in three weeks, Dame Priti is set to demand an apology and a correction to the official record. Meanwhile, Sir Keir’s critics remain furious that Britain is paying the equivalent cost of 10 aircraft carriers or half the annual schools budget to rent back its own territory. For the Government, this story will only rumble on. Read the full story here ➤   Opinion and analysis   Tim Stanley Historian and Telegraph columnist Netanyahu is committing a strategic blunder that will alienate the world Continue reading ➤     Michael Mosbacher Associate Comment Editor and columnist Here’s proof that Labour’s private school tax raid was never about money Continue reading ➤     Chris Bascombe Telegraph Football Reporter Liverpool look a £300m work in progress Continue reading ➤   Get full access Unlock Britain’s best news app and our award-winning website Enjoy three months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. Subscribe now   Must reads Brian Cox: ‘People snipe at me but I’m too old, too tired and too f---ing talented to care’ Credit: Photography by Pip The British seaside town succumbing to a ‘sense of hopelessness’ Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida and the battle to be ‘the world’s most beautiful woman’ Inside Ukraine’s mission to expose Russia’s submarine weakness Does it matter that Britons are reading less than ever before?   The best of the Telegraph   Seven ways to dementia-proof yourself in midlife Certain lifestyle choices, such as getting enough sleep and exercise, have been found to prevent the onset of dementia Experts claim that midlife is a key period for intervention to protect against dementia, with research showing that by making certain lifestyle changes “up to 40 per cent of cases can be prevented altogether”. From keeping your brain active with crosswords and sudokus to – more surprisingly – flossing your teeth, our health writers reveal seven ways to dementia-proof yourself in midlife, in one of our most popular articles of all time. Continue reading ➤   Discuss Every day our journalists discuss the day’s biggest issues with subscribers on our app and on our website. Today, Rowan Pelling responds to a subscriber comment on her column: Life was easier for women when men didn’t need to hide their sexism. Nigel Broadbent The point is a bigger one than misogyny. We are now routinely prevented (by fear of cancellation or prosecution) from saying what we are thinking, so there’s no means to challenge it or even lampoon it. But all of us still think what we think. People now self-edit before speaking in a way that was never done in this country before.   Rowan Pelling I think what’s been interesting and rather sinister to follow is how speech has become more ruthlessly policed. This has led to the sharing of private thoughts in supposedly safe spaces, like mates’ WhatsApp groups. However, that in turn has resulted in throwaway lines being leaked and the culprit shamed (we’ve seen a lot of that in politics). Coming up today Matthew Lynn will be joining you in the comments at 11am to discuss his article: Our pharma industry powerhouses need emergency treatment. And at 4pm, Rupert Christiansen will be replying to your comments on his article: The 20 best non-fiction books of all time, ranked.   From Westminster to Washington… Follow trusted coverage of the stories that are shaping our world Enjoy three months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. Subscribe now   Listen Click below to enjoy one of our agenda-setting podcasts   Puzzles Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including PlusWord, Sorted, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.   The solution to yesterday’s clue was MASS. Come back tomorrow for the answer to today’s puzzle.   Newsletters Read and sign up to our newsletters Telegraph Politics • Weekdays Get the inside track on the movers, shakers and policy makers in Westminster + Sign up   Your Royal Appointment • Subscriber exclusive Enjoy an in-depth look into the lives of the Royal family with Hannah Furness + Sign up   Sport Briefing • Daily Get your head in the game with unbeatable analysis and interviews + Sign up   Three months’ free access Subscribe now

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