The UK has signed a deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, and lease back the military base there for £101m a year, APA reports citing BBC.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the deal - which involves a lease on the base for 99 years "and beyond" - is in the UK's national interest.
The deal was stopped by a last-minute court injunction at 02:25 this morning - but that was discharged just after 12:30.
In a government press release, Defence Secretary John Healey says "the UK retains full operational control of Diego Garcia" under the terms of the deal.
That includes "management of the electromagnetic spectrum satellite used for communications", which Healey says is "vital for countering hostile interference."
A reminder, sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, formally the British Indian Ocean Territory, will be handed to Mauritius.
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