What is the UK’s Chagos Islands deal and why has Starmer delayed it?
Sir Keir Starmer has delayed the Chagos Islands takeover deal in the face of backlash from the US after Donald Trump called it an act of “gross stupidity”.
The UK government’s plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, which was due to be debated in the House of Lords on Monday, has now been withdrawn amid warnings it could breach an agreement between the US and the UK asserting sovereignty over the archipelago.
In response to the news, ministers angrily accused their colleagues of interfering with Britain’s national security and “irresponsible and reckless behaviour”. While sources insist that the bill will be returned, opponents claim that the bill cannot move forward without US support.
Trump launched a scathing attack on Britain earlier this week, saying there was “no reason” the deal should be signed, adding that it was “another” national security reason for his country to buy Greenland.
Writing on the Truth Social platform, Mr Trump added: “Denmark and its European Allies MUST DO THE RIGHT THING.”
Here’s why it matters as the deal faces further delays.
What is the Chagos agreement?
Last year Sir Keir reached an agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while retaining control of the UK-US military base on the island of Diego Garcia.
In return, England was promised a 99-year lease for the base for an average annual fee of £101 million at current prices. The government estimates this will mean a total cost of £3.4bn.
These islands are currently administered by the United Kingdom as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) and have been administered in some form since 1814. In 1965, the United Kingdom and the United States formally separated the islands from Mauritius, creating a separate colony, for the purpose of common defence, and soon after forcibly removed the indigenous Chagossians.
Mauritius will be free to arrange for the resettlement of Chagossians to all islands in the archipelago, on terms, with the exception of Diego Garcia.
Mr Trump appeared to indicate his support for the deal last year, telling Sir Keir during a visit to the White House in February that he was “on the same page as your country” and “felt it would work out very well”.
Why has an agreement been reached now?
International law had long questioned the United Kingdom’s sovereignty over the BIOT, a sentiment largely reflected by the Chagossian community.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion on the regulation, finding that the UK had an “obligation” to end its administration of the islands “as quickly as possible”.
This was not a legally binding decision and the Conservative administration in power at the time opposed it.
Less than a year after his election victory, Sir Keir announced that Labor had taken a different approach and reached a deal with Mauritius. He said it was “absolutely vital” for the “safety and security of the British people”.
The government argues that the agreement will guarantee the Diego Garcia base in the long term, avoid the risk of future legal decisions affecting the UK’s ability to use the base, and secure the base and islands against China or other states that may want to establish a presence there.
Following Mr Trump’s comments, a government spokesman said: “The UK will never compromise our national security. We took action after court decisions undermined our position because the base in Diego Garcia was under threat and could prevent it from operating as intended in the future.”
“This agreement secures the operations of the joint US-UK base in Diego Garcia for generations, with robust provisions to keep its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out.”
“This agreement has been publicly welcomed by the United States, Australia and all other Five Eyes allies, as well as key international partners such as India, Japan and South Korea.”
Why did Starmer delay the deal?
The decision to withdraw the deal came after Trump downplayed the agreement on Tuesday as “an act of gross stupidity” even though his government had previously been happy with the terms.
But a Labor source in the Lords said the US president’s words had no impact on the decision to postpone the bill to another day, instead blaming a backlash from his Tory colleagues on the deal.
They said: “This is a response to their much larger number of Conservative colleagues in the House by proposing a disruptive amendment to a government bill just hours before the end of business ahead of the scheduled debate on the next sitting day.”
The Conservative Party amendment, which is not on parliament’s website but was seen by the Press Association, also called on the government to ensure that the Chagos agreement does not violate a 1966 agreement with the United States that confirmed British sovereignty over the islands.
It will also allow ministers to give the Chagossian people, who were exiled from the islands in the 1960s and 1970s, a “formal” say in the deal.
The next stages of parliamentary review of the Chagos Treaty, which it is currently involved in, are known as “ping pong”, with the House of Commons and the House of Lords going back and forth as they try to change some elements of it.
