A shocking new graph has revealed how the reported £18 billion payment to Mauritius for the Chagos Islands could be spent on domestic priorities instead as pressure piles onto Sir Keir Starmer.

Shared by GB News journalist Tom Harwood on X, the graph compares the “true cost of Chagos” with potential allocations such as restoring winter fuel payments, doubling medical school places, funding free bus travel nationwide, and even covering the cost of a new Type 31 frigate.

Harwood said in the caption alongside the graph: “Here’s what we could get for YOUR money that the government is reportedly going to needlessly send to Mauritius.”

He later added in a separate tweet: “Giving Mauritius £18 billion works out as £350 million per week.”

Critics also argue the money could be better spent domestically, especially during times of financial strain.

The graph shows the £18 billion could cover multiple high-priority projects, from improving public transportation to supporting vulnerable people through increased child benefits and universal free school meals.

The reported price of the deal has also sparked further controversy. Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam claimed inflation had driven the cost above the previously reported £9 billion, suggesting the agreement could end up costing even more than expected.

Currently, the deal involves giving away the islands but leasing the Diego Garcia air base for £90 million a year for 99 years, according to previous reports. However, Mr Ramgoolam claimed that this payment would increase each year for the next decade due to an inflation-linked agreement.

He said: “The previous package was very badly negotiated. It seems somebody who didn’t know that inflation existed. [The deal] has to be inflation-proof. What’s the point of getting money and then having half of it by the end?”

The Foreign Office has since pushed back on these claims, calling them “inaccurate and misleading”. A spokesperson told the BBC: “The UK will only sign a deal that is in our best interest.

“There has been no change to the terms of extension in the treaty.”

However, Sir Keir himself said that the payment is essential to secure the future of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago.

During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, the Prime Minister explained that international rulings had cast doubt on the UK’s continued sovereignty over the islands.

He argued that without the agreement, the military base’s operations would be jeopardised.

Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam recently claimed the UK agreed to amend the payment terms, including front-loading payments and adjusting for variable exchange rates.

While reports suggest this could double the cost from £9 billion to £18 billion, both UK and Mauritian officials have denied this, though they have not provided alternative figures.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch criticised the expenditure, saying: “He’s freezing pensioners, while shovelling money to Mauritius,” referencing cuts to winter fuel payments.

However, the government maintains the deal is strategically necessary.

Sir Keir stressed that securing the military base’s future was paramount. He said: “The base would be unable to operate in practical terms as it should unless the UK agreed to cede sovereignty.”