Chagos deal 'on hold' as Defence Secretary admits Britain 'can't proceed without US support'
Confirming that Trump's stance on the deal "is settled", Wes Streeting told LBC
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Britain's Chagos Islands deal is on hold after the Defence Secretary admits 'can't proceed without US support'
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Admitting the deal "can't proceed without US support", Wes Streeting's comments come hours after Donald Trump was seen to slam the proposed Chagos Island deal during Andy Burnham's first meeting with the US President.
Confirming that Trump's stance on the deal "is settled", the Defence Secretary admitted that Britain is "not going ahead without the Americans".
"It’s important for us, it’s important for the Americans," Streeting told Nick Ferrari at Breakfast.
"We are not going ahead without the Americans; our base at Diego Garcia is one of our most sensitive and important."
Read more: Trump blasts Chagos deal - but insists special relationship is 'more up' since Burnham appointment
Read more: Burnham takes aim at Russia in UN speech as he declares 'Britain is back' on world stage
The news comes hours after Trump and Burnham met in New York as world leaders convened at the UN General Assembly.
Mr Trump told Mr Burnham that the UK’s agreement with Mauritius to hand over the Chagos Islands is a “terrible deal”.
Asked by reporters about the deal after the bilateral meeting, the US president said: “I don’t support it. I think it’s a terrible deal.
“They all of a sudden say they have ownership, somebody has ownership that never showed up before after decades and centuries. I think it’s ridiculous. No, we were talking about that.
During the pair's conversation in New York, Burnham insisted the pair had "established a good connection".
He added that he and Trump had "taken that further today", following discussions spanning trade and immigration.