The Chagos deal has been put on hold after the Mauritian Prime Minister asked for an independent review of the agreement with Britain over the future of the islands.
Navin Ramgoolam, who was elected just two weeks ago, has expressed doubts about the agreement and asked to delay it. He told parliament on Thursday his new cabinet would be able to consider the outcome of the review.
Sir Keir Starmer has said that he is confident that the deal would soon be ratified, however, sources have claimed that the Labour leader is trying to “rush through” the controversial Chagos Islands treaty before Donald Trump takes office as US President on January 20.
Trump has publicly rejected the deal, and Republicans have expressed strong opposition to the deal, citing concerns over China’s influence in the region.
Navin Ramgoolam asked for an independent review of the agreement with Britain over the future of the islands
Getty/PA
In October, Starmer announced that the UK is giving up sovereignty of the islands, ending decades of often tense negotiations between Britain and Mauritius over the archipelago.
Britain, which has controlled the region since 1814, detached the Chagos Islands in 1965 from Mauritius – a former colony that became independent three years later – to create the British Indian Ocean territory.
Jonathan Powell, who negotiated the surrender of the islands, has now been said to have been dispatched to Washington in an attempt to salvage the deal.
The Chagos Islands are home to a military base which is used by the UK and US governments, which is situated on the island of Diego Garcia.
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Starmer said the agreement over the islands would secure the long-term future of the military base, which he deemed as the “single most important thing”. It will retain the facility on a 99-year lease.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told MPs that Trump’s team views the agreement with “outright hostility”, noting that a senior Trump adviser described Diego Garcia as “the most important island on the planet as far as America was concerned”.
Earlier this week, Chagos Island residents gathered outside the British Embassy in Mauritius to protest against Labour’s surrender of the territory, demanding that Powell halt talks with their government.
Demonstrators wielded signs that read: “Our voices also need to be heard. We demand to be part of the negotiations”, and “Respect Chagossians’ voice. Chagossian British remains British.”
Earlier this week, Chagos Island residents gathered outside the British Embassy in Mauritius to protest
Many of those against the deal believe it could lead to the Labour government handing over other territories.
Powell, who negotiated the surrender, has previously said that Britain should not be “too worried” about losing control of the islands he described as being “very tiny”.
The Government maintains it had no choice but to negotiate the handover after the International Court of Justice ruled Britain’s administration of the territory was “unlawful” and must end.
