UK Shelves Chagos Islands Agreement Following Trump Pressure

The UK government has shelved legislation tied to a proposed agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after the United States failed to provide formal confirmation backing the plan, amid rising tensions with US President Donald Trump.

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Officials say the agreement has not been abandoned entirely, but the government has run out of time to pass the necessary legislation before Parliament is dissolved in the coming weeks. As a result, the measure is not expected to appear in the King’s Speech scheduled for mid-May.

US approval still outstanding

The deal, signed in May 2025, would see the UK hand sovereignty over the Chagos Islands—officially the British Indian Ocean Territory— to Mauritius. In return, Britain would pay an average of £101 million ($136 million) annually to lease back the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago.

A formal exchange of letters from the United States confirming its support is required before the treaty can take effect. UK officials say that confirmation has not yet been received.

A government spokesperson said Diego Garcia remained a critical military facility for both countries and that protecting the long-term future of the base was the central objective of the agreement.

“We continue to believe the agreement is the best way to secure the long-term future of the base,” the spokesperson said, adding that the government would only proceed if the United States formally supports the arrangement.

Officials say discussions with both Washington and Mauritius are continuing.

Trump criticism complicates negotiations

The plan had previously received backing from the US, but uncertainty grew after Donald Trump criticised the agreement earlier this year.

In January, Trump described the proposal as an “act of total weakness”. In February, he again urged UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to abandon the plan, writing on his Truth Social platform that Britain should not “give away Diego Garcia”.

His remarks came despite the US Department of State having expressed official support for the agreement shortly beforehand.

The mixed signals from Washington have complicated efforts to finalise the treaty and move the necessary legislation through Parliament.

Political reaction in the UK

Opposition parties that had previously criticised the proposal welcomed the decision to shelve the legislation.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said that if the plan was ultimately abandoned it would be because her party had opposed it from the beginning. She criticised the proposal to transfer British territory while paying to continue using the military base.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also supported the move, saying the government should now focus on enabling Chagossians to resettle on the islands.

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller criticised the overall handling of the negotiations, describing it as chaotic across both the previous Conservative government and the current Labour administration.

He also said the shifting position from Washington highlighted concerns about the reliability of the United States as a partner.

Chagossian concerns

The proposed deal has also faced opposition from some members of the Chagossian community, many of whom were displaced from the islands decades ago to allow the construction of the military base.

Some Chagossians have argued that transferring sovereignty to Mauritius could undermine their prospects of returning to their homeland and have instead called for the UK to retain control while enabling resettlement.

For now, the future of the agreement remains uncertain as negotiations with both the United States and Mauritius continue.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 11 April 2026