The Chagos Islands deal is “good value”, the armed forces minister has said, rejecting claims that the government’s estimation of the overall cost was misleading. Officials said the deal amounted to £3.4 billion and was comparable to what allies paid for leasing bases in the region. Report by Gluszczykm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
00:00Yes, those figures by the Conservatives are incorrect. It will cost 3.4 billion over 99 years. And it's roughly 100 million pounds a year in lease payments that we'll be making. That's 0.2% of the defence budget to secure what is the most valuable piece of military real estate pretty much on the planet.
00:20It's essential for UK and United States military operations. And that's why this deal not only puts the base on a firm footing for the next century, it also supports the Chagossians who were evicted from the islands back in the 60s and the 70s as well.
00:37Well, this is probably the most important military base on the planet for the United Kingdom. And because of that, and because the first duty of any government is to keep our country safe, securing the future of this base has been a top priority for the government.
00:52This deal does that. It's backed by our friends in the United States, our friends in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India and NATO. And it's opposed by Russia, China and Iran.
01:04Now, that tells me something about why this deal is so important, because it keeps that base operational. And it's vital that we do so because it supports our own UK national security, but those of our allies in the region as well.
