MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

The Tory “Rwanda migrants-deportation” deal turns into a Labour 'St Helena deal'

Boat people attempting to cross the English Channel

Before the UK Boris Johnson administration finally struck the “Rwanda” deal to deport migrants and/or boat people crossing the English channel from the continent, (plus a generous donation of over £ 100 million for 'development'), some of the possible places considered even included the Falkland Islands, but the suggestion did not prosper.

However reality has not been far from the Islands under the current Labour government, in effect, migrants from Chagos Islands, or the British Indian Ocean Territory, --to become part of the Republic of Mauritius--, are going to be flown to the BOT of St. Helena.

According to UK media reports the agreement will see the government of St Helena taking £6.65m to accept migrants who travel to the Chagos Islands in small boats. St Helena is situated more than 5,000 miles away from the Chagos Islands.

The deal comes after the UK ended an eleven year dispute over the key military base, and Britain's last African colony, when it handed the Chagos Islands back to Mauritius.

Chagossians were forcibly removed from the island the island in the 1960s and 1970s to make way for the military base, in what Human Rights Watch described as “crimes against humanity”.

The handover deal still allows the UK to retain the long-term future of a strategically important joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands

St Helena will reportedly accept migrants in the 'Rwanda-style' deal for around 18 months, until the agreement is fully fleshed out. Once the Chagos Islands are officially returned to Mauritius, Chagos will oversee the migrant arrivals.

The deal does not work retrospectively, with only migrants who arrive to Diego Garcia from now set to fall under the rules of the new deal.

Bur the agreement has come under fire by residents of St Helena.

A councilor from the British territory expressed concerns about migrants causing 'a cultural shock': “We are a very small island. There are less than 4,500 people who are resident on St Helena, so any influx to the island would have an impact.

“This is the kind of place where you know pretty much anyone you pass on the street on a first-name basis. The cultural shock alone would have a big impact.”

Julie Thomas, chief minister of St Helena, praised the 'Rwanda-style' deal struck by Starmer, calling it a 'unique opportunity' to support the UK:

“We are pleased to be able to work in close partnership with the UK government towards a mutually beneficial solution.” To a certain point the chief minister is rights, since any support for St. Helena finances should be more than helpful.

Sources from the Foreign Office reportedly told The Telegraph that migrants risk impacting the operation of the air base. The UK and US will still oversee the air base even after the Chagos Islands are returned to the republic of Mauritius.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “This Government inherited a situation where the long-term, secure operation of the Diego Garcia military base was under threat, with contested sovereignty and ongoing legal challenges.”