The UK government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer is entering a 100-year lease of Diego Garcia to an entity claiming right, title, and interest in the island.
Evidence and Verdict
For
The UK has agreed to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while arranging a long-term leaseback for Diego Garcia; multiple outlets report the leaseback duration as 99 years. Major outlets (Reuters, BBC, AP) describe the agreement as handing sovereignty to Mauritius and leasing back the base to preserve long-term use.
Against
The claim describes a '100-year lease' while the verified agreement and reporting state a 99-year leaseback (so '100 years' is inaccurate). The claim frames the counterparty as an unspecified 'entity claiming right, title and interest,' but the actual counterpart is Mauritius, a recognized sovereign claimant with longstanding legal and UN/ICJ backing.
Verdict
The statement combines accurate elements (the UK securing long-term use of Diego Garcia through a leaseback and involving a claimant) with factual errors and misleading framing: the leaseback term is reported as 99 years (not 100), and the counterparty is the state of Mauritius — not an anonymous or newly appearing 'entity.' Because of these mixed truths and mischaracterizations, the appropriate rating is MIXED.
Sources
Britain to transfer Chagos islands to Mauritius, lease back Diego Garcia for 99 years - Reuters
Britain to transfer Chagos islands to Mauritius, lease back Diego Garcia for 99 years - Reuters - Feb 19, 2026
Reuters reports the UK will transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while retaining control of the Diego Garcia air base under a 99-year leaseback as part of the agreement.
Open sourceUK to hand Chagos Islands to Mauritius and lease back Diego Garcia for 99 years - BBC
UK to hand Chagos Islands to Mauritius and lease back Diego Garcia for 99 years - BBC - Feb 19, 2026
The BBC describes the agreement as transferring sovereignty to Mauritius and leasing back Diego Garcia for a period of 99 years, noting the government's stated purpose of guaranteeing the base's lo...
Open sourceBritain to hand sovereignty of Chagos to Mauritius, lease back base for at least 99 years - Associated Press
Britain to hand sovereignty of Chagos to Mauritius, lease back base for at least 99 years - Associated Press - Feb 19, 2026
AP reports that Britain will hand sovereignty to Mauritius and lease back the Diego Garcia base for at least 99 years, emphasizing the practical effect of ceding sovereignty while securing base acc...
Open sourceAdvisory Opinion — Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 (ICJ)
Advisory Opinion — Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 (ICJ) - Feb 19, 2026
Background from the International Court of Justice: outlines Mauritius' long-standing legal claim to the Chagos Archipelago and the court's advisory opinion criticizing the UK's previous administra...
Open sourceUK and Mauritius: Agreement on Chagos Archipelago - UK Government statement
UK and Mauritius: Agreement on Chagos Archipelago - UK Government statement - Feb 19, 2026
Official UK announcement describes the deal as a transfer of sovereignty to Mauritius with a leaseback arrangement to preserve the strategic base on Diego Garcia and continued UK/US operational acc...
Open source