Stephen Doughty, a UK Foreign Office minister, told the House of Commons that the agreement with Mauritius was initially negotiated in close coordination with the US, but Donald Trump’s position ‘appears to have changed.’ The UK government was forced to shelve its legislation to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after the US dropped its support for the agreement.

U.S. Withdrawal Sparks Legal and Political Stalemate

As part of the deal. The UK was to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, and lease the island of Diego Garcia, which is the site of a joint UK-US military base, for 99 years to continue operations. Doughty said Trump had initially described the treaty as ‘very strong and powerful,’ adding that the document had been ‘tested thoroughly at all levels of the United States system under two administrations and found to be reliable.’

But with the withdrawal of US support, Doughty said it had become impossible to agree on an update to the 1966 UK-US agreement, known as the ‘exchange of notes,’ over the availability for defence purposes of British Indian Ocean territories. He told MPs that updating the 1966 agreement was necessary to ratify the treaty, and so ‘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.’

UK Remains Committed to Military Base Operations

He added: ‘The government nevertheless remains confident that the Diego Garcia treaty is the best means of protecting the full operation of the military base for future generations, for us and our allies.’ The setback in the UK’s push to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is a sign of the worsening US-UK relations after Trump’s heavy criticism of Keir Starmer over his stance on the Iran war.

Doughtly said: ‘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.’

Chagos Islands Treaty Impossibility Sparks Concern Among Islanders

The Chagos Islands treaty, which had been seen as a potential solution for the long-standing dispute over the islands’ sovereignty, is now ‘impossible to agree at political level,’ according to Doughty. This development has left many Chagossians disappointed, as the treaty was viewed as a critical step toward a sustainable resettlement program.

The UK had long been under pressure from the UN and other international bodies to resolve the issue of the Chagos Islands, which were separated from Mauritius in 1965 and later administered by the UK. The islands are home to a population of Chagossians who were forcibly removed in the 1970s to make way for the US military base on Diego Garcia.

Despite the UK’s commitment to the Diego Garcia treaty, the withdrawal of US support has made the situation more complex. The US had previously supported the agreement, but under Trump’s administration, the position appeared to shift. This change has complicated the UK’s efforts to finalize the treaty and move forward with the necessary legislative steps.

According to Doughty, the UK government continues to believe that the Diego Garcia treaty is essential for ensuring the continued operation of the military base. However, without US support, the treaty cannot be finalized, and the bill will not complete its passage through parliament in the current session.

The Chagos Islands treaty has been a point of contention for decades, and the current stalemate highlights the challenges of achieving a resolution. The UK remains committed to finding a solution, but the political and legal hurdles have made the process increasingly difficult.

As the situation unfolds, the Chagossians and their supporters continue to push for a resolution that would allow them to return to their homeland. The UK government’s stance on the issue will likely be a topic of discussion in future parliamentary sessions, as the political landscape continues to evolve.