Britain’s plan to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is being shelved due to opposition from US President Donald Trump. According to BBC reports citing UK government officials, legislation to hand back the Indian Ocean archipelago had expired in parliament and no new bill was expected.
Trump previously criticized what he called London’s “great stupidity” over the deal, which includes the key Diego Garcia US-UK military base. The Prime Minister’s government stood by the agreement but acknowledged it could not proceed without Trump’s support.
The Chagos Islands were to be handed back to Mauritius in a May 2021 agreement while Britain maintained a lease on Diego Garcia for a century. However, Trump endorsed the deal after signing it but later criticized it on Truth Social in January.
Diego Garcia is one of two bases where the UK allowed the US to operate during its war against Iran. The Chagos agreement would have seen Britain return sovereignty over some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) northeast of Mauritius to Mauritius and lease the base for £90 million ($111 million) annually.
The International Court of Justice recommended in 2019 that Britain hand the archipelago back to Mauritius. The Chagos Islanders were evicted after Mauritius gained independence from Britain in the 1960s, leading to numerous legal claims for compensation in British courts.