A Foreign Office minister has declared that a treaty to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has become "impossible to agree at a political level," with the corresponding bill unable to complete its passage through parliament. Stephen Doughty informed the Commons that the agreement, initially negotiated in close coordination with the United States, has stalled following a shift in the US position under Donald Trump.
US Withdrawal Halts Parliamentary Progress
The UK government was compelled to shelve its legislation to hand over the Chagos Islands after the United States dropped its support for the deal. As part of the proposed agreement, the UK would have ceded sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while leasing Diego Garcia, the largest island and site of a joint UK-US military base, for 99 years to maintain operations.
Doughty noted that Trump had previously described the treaty as "very strong and powerful," with the document being "tested thoroughly at all levels of the United States system under two administrations and found to be robust." However, with the withdrawal of US backing, it has become unfeasible to update the 1966 UK-US agreement, known as the "exchange of notes," which governs the availability of British Indian Ocean territories for defense purposes.
Impact on Military Base and Resettlement Plans
Updating the 1966 agreement was essential to ratify the treaty, Doughty explained, meaning "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 emphasized that the government remains confident the treaty is the best way to protect the full operation of the military base for future generations and allies.
This setback in the UK's efforts to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius reflects deteriorating US-UK relations, exacerbated by Trump's criticism of Keir Starmer over his stance on the Iran war. Doughty added, "The delay to the treaty will be sad news to many Chagossians – although I accept not all – who rightly see it as the only viable means to a sustainable programme of resettlement, which Mauritius would be able to implement under its terms."
The situation underscores the complex geopolitical dynamics at play, with the future of the Chagos Islands and the strategic Diego Garcia base now in limbo due to shifting international alliances and political disagreements.
