By CNBC-TV18 April 11, 2026, 5:16:36 PM IST (Published)
The British government said Saturday that legislation to ratify an agreement to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has run out of time in Parliament and is on indefinite hold after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew his support.
The deal, negotiated to safeguard the long-term future of the U.K.-American military base on Diego Garcia, had initially received backing from the U.S. but Mr. Trump reversed course in January, calling the transfer “an act of GREAT STUPIDITY” on social media. In response, the U.K. paused the bill’s progress and now accepts it is unlikely to become law before the current parliamentary session ends. It is not expected to be included in the government’s slate of bills for the next session beginning May 13.
The British government said ensuring the operational security of Diego Garcia—“a key strategic military asset for both the U.K. and the U.S.”—remains a priority and that the agreement was intended to protect the base long-term. The statement added the government would only proceed with the deal if it has U.S. support and that officials continue to engage with both the U.S. and Mauritius.
Simon McDonald, former head of the Foreign Office, told the BBC the government “had no other choice” but to shelve the treaty while relations with the U.S. are strained, describing the arrangement as going into a “deep freeze” for now.
The remote archipelago of more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean, south of the Maldives, has been under British control since 1814. Diego Garcia hosts a strategically important base that has supported U.S. operations from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan and has been used for long-range missions, including strikes related to conflicts in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer initially blocked American planes from using British bases for attacks on Iran, then later allowed limited use of English bases and Diego Garcia to target Iran’s missile sites. Mr. Trump has criticized NATO allies for reluctance to join the war, and has publicly derided Mr. Starmer.
Under the proposed U.K.-Mauritius agreement, Britain would lease back the Diego Garcia base for at least 99 years. The Starmer government says the deal would protect the base from international legal challenges after recent U.N. and International Court rulings urged Britain to return the islands to Mauritius.
The plan faced opposition from the Conservative Party and Reform UK, which warned that ceding sovereignty could invite interference from China and Russia and lobbied the Trump administration to withdraw support.
Displaced Chagossians—removed from Diego Garcia in the 1960s and 1970s—say they were not consulted and fear the deal would make return harder. Around 10,000 Chagossians and their descendants live mainly in Britain, Mauritius and the Seychelles; many have pursued legal battles in U.K. courts for the right to return.
