Mauritius threatens to sue Britain over Chagos deal
Mauritius is considering legal action against the UK over a delay in approving Sir Keir Starmer’s Chagos Islands deal following criticism from Donald Trump.
Last year Sir Keir agreed to a controversial deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, while paying the Indian Ocean island £3.4bn over a century to retain control of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.
But the plan was effectively suspended after the US president made a series of harsh criticisms of the deal.
In the latest in a series of blows against the prime minister’s contentious plan, Mauritius’ prime minister told local journalists he was “exploring legal remedies” after delays left a hole in the country’s budget.
Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam said, “We are exploring legal avenues in the Chagos case.” Def Media.
“We are exploring all possible avenues, but it is clear that the 2026-27 budget will not be easy.”
However, the UK government is understood to believe that there is no basis in international law for Mauritius to receive compensation if the agreement is not ratified.
Britain agreed to pay Mauritius at least £120 million a year under a 99-year deal to lease back the site; This represents a total cost of £35bn in cash.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “Our position on Diego Garcia is very clear.”
“Keeping control of Diego Garcia is the whole basis of the agreement we have reached. As we have said before, it is an important strategic military asset for both the UK and the US that has ensured our shared security for nearly 60 years.”
“This is the only way to ensure the base remains safe and operational in the long term.”
The deal was thrown into fresh chaos last month after a minister said a plan to hand over sovereignty over British territory had been paused after Mr Trump called on Britain to scrap it.
The Foreign Office later claimed the minister had “misspoke” and quickly issued a statement saying there was “no pause”. However, it was also acknowledged that the plan now depends on the Trump administration accepting it.
Mr Trump again voiced his disapproval of the plan, telling reporters this week that Britain had “ruined relations” over the “stupid island”.
Appearing to be referring to the Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands, Mr Trump said: “That island… It took us three or four days to work out where we could land there; it would have been much more convenient to land there instead of flying extra hours, so we were very surprised. It’s not Winston Churchill we’re meeting.”
He added: “I will say that the UK has been very, very uncooperative with that stupid island that they own, give away and get a 100-year lease on, which maybe has to do with locals who have never seen the island before taking ownership of the island. What’s all this about? They’ve ruined relations.”
An FCDO Spokesperson said: “Diego Garcia is an important strategic military asset for both the UK and the US, ensuring our collective security for nearly six decades.
“Maintaining control of Diego Garcia is the whole basis of our agreement. It means we retain control, protect against legal challenges to his operation, and prevent our adversaries from jeopardizing his operation.
“This is the only way to ensure the base remains safe and operational in the long term.”
