MPs demand answers over fears UK officials’ phones hacked during Chagos negotiations

The government has been pressed to provide answers after leaked recordings sparked fears the British High Commission in Mauritius had its phones hacked around the time the UK opened negotiations for the handover of the Chagos Islands.

On Sunday, The Independent revealed that British high commissioner Charlotte Pierre was hit in a huge leak of purported phone conversations between high-profile Mauritian figures.

Pressure is now building on the government to address the potential security breach.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, Liberal Democrat MP James MacCleary asked: “It has been reported today that there is an investigation underway into a major hack of the British commission’s phones during the Chagos Island talks. What action is the government taking to address this potentially major security breach?”

Responding, foreign office minister Stephen Doughty said: “In regard to the points you raised about in the media, alleged hacks, those are subject to an ongoing police investigation in Mauritius, so I don’t want to comment. But my understanding is they’re historic, rather than relating to the recent negotiation period.”

Multiple sources told The Independent that the conversation is thought to have taken place around the autumn of 2022, meaning it is likely to have occurred towards the start, or just ahead of, the negotiations over the Indian Ocean islands.

Pressure is set to continue on Tuesday when Nigel Farage has a question on the Chagos Islands during the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) questions session in the House of Commons.

Tory MPs have indicated they plan to follow his question with enquiries on whether Mauritius was “negotiating in good faith” following The Independent revelations.

The Chagos issue is sensitive due to the secretive joint UK-US air base on Diego Garcia (the largest island in the Chagos archipelago). The deal struck by the government allows the UK to retain the facility for the next 100 years, but there are concerns the agreement will open up the islands to Chinese interference.

On Sunday, the FCDO confirmed police in Mauritius are investigating after audio of apparent discussions between Ms Pierre and other political figures were featured on the Mauritian Facebook page “Missie Moustass (Mr Moustache)”.

The clips are claimed to feature a conversation between Ms Pierre and local businessman Ken Arian, chief executive of Airport Holdings, who has recently welcomed the “decolonisation” of the Chagos Islands.

It is understood that one of a number of complaints to the police in Mauritius came from the High Commission and that neither phone tapping nor AI manipulation have been ruled out yet.

Outgoing prime minister Pravind Jugnauth denied his administration was behind the suspected leaks during a youth political rally of the Alliance Lepep in his constituency, Quartier Militaire and Moka.

He denounced the recordings as “fabricated conspiracies and falsehoods”, claiming artificial intelligence is “being used to manipulate voices and create fake conversations”.

But several apparent victims of the phone tapping told The Independent the recordings are genuine.

Shakeel Mohamed – a senior barrister, former leader of the opposition in Mauritius and a candidate in the upcoming election for the Labour Party of Mauritius – said several phone calls he had made were contained in the leak.

He said that using AI as a defence is “preposterous”, explaining that such advanced technology doesn’t exist in Creole.