UK to review Chagos Islands deal after Trump called it 'terrible'
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UK to review Chagos Islands deal after Trump's latest criticism
Image source: Getty
Image caption: A strategic military base is located on the Chagos archipelago's largest island, Diego Garcia
By Ewan Somerville, Political Reporter
Published 25 minutes ago
The UK is reviewing its deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, defence secretary Wes Streeting has confirmed.
Streeting made the announcement after US President Donald Trump called the agreement "terrible" at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
The original agreement would have seen the UK cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius and pay an average of £101m ($136m) per year to lease back a joint UK-US military base there, valued for its strategic location in the Indian Ocean.
In April, the deal—agreed under Sir Keir Starmer—was paused indefinitely because Trump pulled his support.
Streeting said they must review the deal "because the United States doesn't support it".
"What President Trump said yesterday wasn't new but I think it does provide absolute clarity that his position on this Chagos deal as currently drafted is not changing," he told BBC Breakfast.
"So we have to do more work with our American allies, with President Trump and his administration, to get the deal to a place where we can support it."