13 April 2026 , 21:58
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A treaty concerning the transfer of sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has become "impossible to agree at the political level," and the associated bill will not complete its passage through parliament, a Foreign Office minister has stated.
Stephen Doughty informed the Commons that the agreement with Mauritius was initially negotiated in close collaboration with the US, but Donald Trump’s position "seems to have shifted."
The UK government was compelled to put its legislation on hold to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after the US withdrew its support for the agreement.
As part of the arrangement, the UK was to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, and lease the island of Diego Garcia, which hosts a joint UK-US military base, for 99 years to continue operations.
Doughty mentioned Trump had initially described the treaty as "very strong and powerful," adding that the document had been "thoroughly tested at all levels of the United States system under two administrations and found to be robust."
However, with the US withdrawing its support, Doughty said it had become impossible to agree on an update to the 1966 UK-US agreement, known as the "exchange of notes," concerning the availability for defense purposes of British Indian Ocean territories.
Doughty informed MPs that updating the 1966 agreement was necessary to ratify the treaty, and thus "the Diego Garcia bill can therefore not complete its passage this parliamentary session and cannot be carried over due to its advanced progression through parliament."
He added: "The government nevertheless remains confident that the Diego Garcia treaty is the best means of ensuring the full operation of the military base for future generations, for us and our allies."
The setback in the UK’s initiative to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is indicative of deteriorating US-UK relations following Trump’s strong criticism of Keir Starmer over his stance on the Iran war.
Doughty said: "The delay to the treaty will be disappointing news to many Chagossians – although not all – who rightly view it as the only viable means to implement a sustainable resettlement program, which Mauritius would be able to execute under its terms."
Politics Editor