Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been forced to withdraw legislation that would hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after Donald Trump dropped his support, according to multiple reports. The bill underpinning the deal has been dropped from the King's Speech next month, following Trump's comments. The proposed agreement would transfer sovereignty of the Indian Ocean islands to Mauritius, while maintaining control of the US-UK Diego Garcia military base on a lease agreement for 99 years at a cost of $47 billion. The government has stressed the deal is necessary to guarantee the future of the Diego Garcia base after an advisory International Court of Justice ruling in 2019 backed Mauritian claims to sovereignty over the islands.
Donald Trump initially supported the move but changed his stance in January after warning it was an act of great stupidity, multiple reports indicate. He argued that giving away the islands was an act of surrender and warned the territory could fall into the hands of China, an ally of Mauritius. Less than a month later, Trump seemingly backed Starmer's deal once more, saying it was the best he could make. He added that the US could militarily secure the base if the lease agreement ever falls apart.
If Keir Starmer's Chagos surrender now finds its rightful place - on the ash heap of history - it will be because Conservatives led the fight against it from day one. That it took so long is another damning indictment of a prime minister, who fought to hand over British sovereign territory and pay £35 billion to use a crucial military base which was already ours. Unlike Labour, we will always put our country first. We are the only party who can be trusted to stand up for Britain's interests abroad.
The government stressed the deal is still the best way to protect the long-term future of the base but acknowledged that it could not go ahead without Trump's backing, according to multiple reports. A government spokesperson said Diego Garcia is a key strategic military asset for both the UK and the US, and ensuring its long-term operational security is and will continue to be their priority. The government is continuing to engage with the US and Mauritius.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch hailed the government's move, multiple reports indicate. Reform's Robert Jenrick said that if the Chagos surrender is dead, this is a great victory.
If the Chagos surrender is dead, this is a great victory. One day there should be an inquiry into this shabby saga: the Ministers and officials, under Labour and the Tories, who tried to sell Britain out. Shameful.
Warnings have previously been made about how the surrender would expose the islands to environmental damage, multiple reports indicate. Last year Labour's foreign affairs committee chairwoman, Dame Emily Thornberry, said that despite warm words from the Mauritian government on the subject of conservation, the ecosystem could be at risk.