Britain signed an agreement Thursday to hand sovereignty over the contested Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a move the government says ensures the future of a U.S.-U.K. military base that is vital to British security.

The Chagos Islands are in the middle of the Indian Ocean and home to a strategic military base on Diego Garcia.

SIR Keir Starmer’s giveaway of the Chagos Islands has been given the green light after a last minute injunction was lifted. A High Court judge had granted an injunction in the early hours