A close friend of the prime minister profited from the deal which saw the UK agree to relinquish control of the Chagos Islands. According to the Daily Mail, Philippe Sands KC, who describes himself as a ‘great friend’ of Sir Keir Starmer, shared a pot of £8million while acting as chief legal counsel to Mauritius between 2010 and 2024.

Over that time frame, negotiations took place which eventually saw the UK agree to hand back the island also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, which is the home to the Diego Garcia military base. Although Starmer announced the deal, negotiations were initiated under the Conservative government and there is no suggestion of impropriety. The new deal has seen the UK agree to lease back the military base for 99 years at an average cost of £101million per year, a decision many have criticised on national security grounds.

Graham Stringer, who has urged fellow Labour MPs to block the deal, told the Daily Mail: “Philippe Sands is making a fortune representing the interests of a foreign country.

“Sands, the Prime Minister and the Attorney General all believe that international courts, dominated by judges from China are more important than our own democracy.

“The sooner we take control back for the people of this country, and not for foreign courts with lawyers making millions, the better.”

Philippe Sands KC, the high-profile international human rights barrister and a figure known to be close to Attorney General Lord Hermer, coordinated legal teams whose central objective was the handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel has previously accused Sir Keir of betraying Britain.

Dame Priti said: “The Prime Minister is betraying our country, our taxpayers and the Chagossian people with his Chagos Surrender.”

Government documents in Port Louis indicate at least £8.3million of public funds were set aside for the litigation campaign.

Although his personal fee has not been disclosed, legal sources say a lead advocate in such proceedings would typically receive the largest portion, potentially alongside a completion bonus.

Sands previously sparked controversy after being photographed raising the Mauritian flag on the islands in 2022 and later joked in a 2023 Cambridge lecture about “humiliating Britain completely.”

In January, US President Donald Trump branded the deal an “act of great stupidity”, before later rowing back on his comments following discussions with Starmer.

Earlier this month, Downing Street insisted the case for the Chagos Islands deal was “crystal clear”.

“Claims that we negotiated this deal solely because of the 2019 ICJ (International Court of Justice) advisory opinion are simply wrong,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.“That wasn’t the only challenge we faced.

“Without a deal, Mauritius would inevitably pursue a legally-binding judgment, and that judgment would then be applied by countries and international organisations alike.

“And without a deal, we’d face serious, real-world operational impacts on the base.”

The Daily Express has approached Philippe Sands for comment.