Chagos handover deal 'on hold' after Trump slammed it as 'act of great stupidity'
A Bill which would be key to the agreement going ahead is not expected to be included in the Government’s forthcoming legislative plans
Legislation which would see the UK hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has reportedly been put on hold amid Donald Trump’s criticism of the deal.
Listen to this article
A Bill which would be key to the agreement going ahead is not expected to be included in the Government’s forthcoming legislative plans, The Times has reported.
The £35 billion deal which includes a plan to lease back the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia – the largest island in the remote Indian Ocean archipelago – has been criticised by the US president.Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the agreement should now find its “rightful place – on the ash heap of history”.
The Times reported that the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill will not feature in the King’s Speech in May, which sets the agenda for the next session of Parliament.
A Government source told The Times that the agreement is “the best way to protect the long-term future of the base” but they will not proceed without the backing of Mr Trump.
The Republican, who previously supported the plan, branded the deal an “act of great stupidity” in a post on his Truth Social platform in January.
Read more: Trump 'very disappointed' in Starmer over delay in letting US use Chagos Islands' Diego Garcia base
Read more: Russian spy satellites photographed Chagos military base for Iran, says Zelenskyy
He has also repeatedly criticised the Prime Minister throughout the conflict in the Middle East, with the White House saying Britain and Nato allies have “turned their backs” on the American people during the Iran war.
Mrs Badenoch said: “If Keir Starmer’s Chagos surrender now finds its rightful place – on the ash heap of history – it will be because Conservatives led the fight against it from day one.
“That it took so long is another damning indictment of a Prime Minister who fought to hand over British sovereign territory and pay £35 billion to use a crucial military base which was already ours.”
In February, there was confusion over whether the Bill was going ahead, with Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer telling the Commons that the deal had been “paused” although Government officials later said he misspoke.
The US administration had initially hailed the deal as a “monumental achievement” but Mr Trump subsequently lambasted it as an act of “total weakness”.He then reversed his position, saying it was “the best” deal Sir Keir could make before withdrawing support again.
Legislation enabling the handover has not appeared before Parliament since January 20 despite being in its final stages.
The Government has argued the deal is necessary to guarantee the future of the Diego Garcia base after an advisory International Court of Justice ruling in 2019 backed Mauritian claims to sovereignty over the islands.