Sir Keir Starmer has halted the progression of the Chagos Islands bill in Parliament, following criticism from Donald Trump. The Government criticized Tory peers for laying an amendment that would have hindered the ratification of the UK-Mauritius deal over the islands’ sovereignty.
The agreement, signed in May between the UK and Mauritius, aimed to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after being under British rule for two centuries. However, the bill’s advancement was put on hold after Trump’s disparaging remarks, suggesting that the UK relinquishing control of the islands was linked to his previous interest in acquiring Greenland, a notion he has since retracted.
Amid concerns raised by Tories that the deal might clash with a 1960s treaty affirming UK sovereignty over the islands, the process has been paused. The Government stressed its commitment to securing the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia for national security reasons and condemned the peers’ actions as irresponsible and detrimental to national security priorities.
Labour Lords attribute the pause to Tory peers’ strategic move to undermine the government bill shortly before a scheduled debate. The Chagos Islands, originally part of Mauritius until ceded to Britain in 1814, became the British Indian Ocean Territory in 1965. The native Chagossian population was forcibly relocated to allow the construction of a US military base on Diego Garcia.
Last year, the UK reached a deal to transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius while retaining control of the UK-US base on Diego Garcia. The agreement includes a 99-year leaseback of Diego Garcia, with an annual cost of £101 million for the UK. The Trump administration previously supported the deal, viewing it as a significant achievement.
Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Priti Patel claimed credit for the legislative pause, characterizing it as a victory against what she termed Keir Starmer’s “disgraceful Chagos Surrender.” She called for the withdrawal of the deal, alleging it involves handing over British territory and funds to a Chinese ally. The Conservatives pledge to oppose the surrender at every stage.
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