UK Pauses Chagos Islands Transfer Over US Opposition

The UK government has paused its plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after failing to secure formal approval from the US and running out of time to pass necessary legislation before the current parliamentary session ends. The islands, which have been under British control since the 19th century, host a strategically important joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.

The shelved deal involved Britain ceding sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and paying approximately £35bn to lease back the airbase for 99 years. US President Donald Trump's opposition played a significant role in the decision, with Trump calling the plan a "big mistake" despite initially supporting it.

A Foreign Office minister stated that updating the 1966 agreement between the UK and US was necessary to ratify the treaty, but this could not be completed due to lack of time. The minister emphasized that ensuring the long-term operational security of Diego Garcia remains a priority and that they would only proceed with the deal if it had US support.

A senior Mauritian official vowed to pursue diplomatic or legal avenues to complete the decolonization process, emphasizing that this is a matter of justice. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said London would try to persuade Washington to give its formal approval. The Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch criticized the deal, stating it took too long for the government to abandon it and called it a "damning indictment" of Starmer's leadership.

The decision has also sparked reactions from various political figures and campaign groups. Nigel Farage of Reform UK welcomed the shelving of the deal, calling it great news and urging the government to help Chagossians resettle their homeland. The Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller described the handling of the Chagos deal as "shambolic" and emphasized the need for clarity on future military partnerships with the US and addressing Chagossian rights.

Labour MPs are reportedly demanding that Prime Minister Keir Starmer abandon the Chagos Islands deal entirely to avoid further embarrassment. The proposal, which would transfer sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago while maintaining control of the Diego Garcia military base on a 99-year lease agreement at an average cost of £101 million per year, has faced significant backlash from Labour backbenchers.

There is widespread concern within the Labour Party that the policy is a vote-loser at a time when the party already faces potential losses in the upcoming May local council elections. The Government's decision to cede Chagos was intended to secure the long-term security of the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, which officials concluded would become "inoperable" without handing over the territory to Mauritius due to a series of legal rulings.