US EditionUK 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.
163 Articles
163 Articles
Great Brettaña announced that he suspended his project to restore the archipelago to Mauritius as planned last year; Trump had described the agreement as “stupid”; the matter became another point of friction between the two powers
The United Kingdom announced on Saturday 11 April the suspension of its project to return the archipelago to Mauritius, for lack of "support" from the United States. Donald Trump had described the agreement signed by London as "great stupidity".
By Issy Ronald, CNN The United Kingdom has been forced to suspend its plan to hand over the Chagos Islands, where Diego Garcia's US air base is located, after US President Donald Trump repeatedly criticized the agreement. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his government have not completely ruled out the plan to hand over the Islands to Mauritius. A spokesman told CNN: "We continue to believe that the agreement is the best way to protect th…
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