Overview

• A Government Actuary’s Department document obtained under FOI shows the 99-year leaseback of Diego Garcia carries £34.7bn in nominal cash payments
• Ministers defend a £3.4bn net present value figure calculated using standard Treasury discounting and long-term inflation assumptions
• Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel and Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride accuse the government of an “accountancy trick” and will demand a correction and apology in Parliament’s September session
• The government insists the leaseback is vital for UK-US military operations and that the average £101m annual cost represents less than 0.2% of the defence budget
• UN experts and Chagos campaigners warn the agreement overlooks displaced islanders’ rights and that financial opacity deepens legal and human-rights concerns