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UK Halts Chagos Island Deal After Trump Opposition
The $35 billion deal would have transferred sovereignty to Mauritius and kept the Diego Garcia base under a 99-year lease, officials said.
- On Friday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer shelved the bill transferring Chagos Islands sovereignty to Mauritius after President Donald Trump withdrew support for the agreement.
- The bill will not feature in the King's Speech in mid-May as officials ran out of time before Parliament's dissolution and failed to secure the formal exchange of letters required from the Trump administration.
- Negotiators proposed a 99-year lease for Diego Garcia with annual costs of £101m, totaling a projected £35bn commitment for the United Kingdom and United States operations.
- Ministers acknowledged they cannot proceed without backing from the United States, though a government spokesperson maintained ensuring the base's security remains the "entire reason for the deal."
- Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch branded the deal a "surrender," while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called the shelving "great news," as Britain faces balancing decolonisation pressures with Diego Garcia base access.
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98 Articles
98 Articles
The Chagos Islands, located in the Indian Ocean, were supposed to be returned to Mauritius by the United Kingdom. London is putting this process on hold because of differences with the United States. This archipelago in the centre of the Indian Ocean is of a strategic nature as it hosts an American-British military base. - Restitution of the Chagos Islands in Mauritius: why does the United Kingdom finally block the process? (International).
Coverage Details
Total News Sources98
Leaning Left19Leaning Right24Center32Last UpdatedBias Distribution43% Center
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources are Center
43% Center
L 25%
C 43%
R 32%
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