Keir Starmer Shelves Chagos Islands Deal After Trump Calls It 'Great Stupidity'
Key Takeaways
- Keir Starmer shelved the Chagos sovereignty bill after Trump's opposition.
- 2025 agreement would return Chagos to Mauritius while preserving the Diego Garcia base.
- The bill was removed from the King's Speech, signaling a policy pause.
Chagos Deal Collapses
Starmer has shelved the Chagos Islands deal amid worsening relations with Trump.
“The United Kingdom said on Tuesday that an agreement reached in 2025 to return the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius had helped guarantee the future of a key US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean, after U”
Trump called the deal an act of total weakness and great stupidity.
The UK has controlled the islands since the early 19th Century.
The deal would have ceded sovereignty to Mauritius and paid £101m a year to lease back Diego Garcia.
The bill was in the final stages but time has run out before Parliament is dissolved.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said it will go on the ash heap of history.
Trump's Reversal
Trump initially endorsed the deal but reversed course amid tensions with NATO.
He lambasted the deal as an act of total weakness and great stupidity.
The British government stands by the deal but cannot proceed without US support.
The deal was highly contentious in the UK.
Opposition Conservatives and Reform UK resisted the deal.
There were concerns it would break a 1966 treaty.
Strategic and Political Fallout
The Chagos Islands house the pivotal UK-US military base Diego Garcia.
“Donald Trump has accused the United Kingdom of acting with 'stupidity' for its plan to cede ownership of the Chagos Islands, including the U”
The deal would have given Britain a 99-year lease for Diego Garcia.
Some critics characterize Mauritius as a close Chinese ally.
The government claimed the deal would cost £3.5 billion.
Conservative critics insisted the true figure would amount to £35 billion.
The decision represents Starmer's 16th major reversal.
Domestic Political Reactions
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch claimed credit for the deal's collapse.
Reform leader Nigel Farage personally lobbied Trump administration figures.
The UK will pay Mauritius 101 million pounds annually for 99 years.
Some Chagossians have opposed the deal arguing they were not consulted.
The International Court of Justice recommended the handover to Mauritius.
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