In this interpretation, Britain retained the Ionian Islands chiefly to prevent France from recovering them. Malta and other islands already supplied British possessions in the Mediterranean, while Ottoman control, especially through Ali Pasha, was considered unreliable. The eventual transfer pleased Greeks who regarded the islands as part of their country's heritage. For the king, the same transfer brought politicians who could be difficult to manage. Under British protection, the islands were called the United States of the Ionian Islands.
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Why Britain held the Ionian Islands
British possession of the Ionian Islands is explained as a way to prevent France from recovering them before their eventual transfer to Greece.