Britain has shelved its plan to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after failing to secure the backing of US President Donald Trump, a government spokesperson confirmed on Saturday. The decision brings an abrupt halt to a deal that had been in place since May 2024, which would have seen Britain hand sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius while retaining a long-term lease on the strategic Diego Garcia military base, jointly operated with the United States.
A government spokesman stated, “We have always said we would only proceed with the deal if it has US support.” The legislation needed to implement the agreement has now run out of time in Parliament, and a new Chagos bill is not expected to be introduced, according to BBC reports citing UK officials.
The original agreement, announced last May, would have granted Britain a 99-year lease on Diego Garcia, with an option to extend, and would have involved annual payments reportedly in the region of £90 million ($111 million). The arrangement was intended to ensure continued US-UK military operations from the base, which plays a central role in regional security and has been used for a range of operations, including those linked to the conflict with Iran.
However, in January, President Trump publicly criticised the deal, calling London’s decision “great stupidity” in a post on his Truth Social platform. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government maintained that the agreement was the best way to secure the base’s future, citing international legal rulings that have cast doubt on Britain’s ownership of the Chagos Islands. In 2019, the International Court of Justice recommended that the UK hand the archipelago to Mauritius, which gained independence in the 1960s but was separated from the Chagos at that time.
The islands’ history is marked by controversy, as thousands of Chagos islanders were forcibly removed by Britain in the 1960s and 1970s to make way for the military base. Many have since pursued legal claims for compensation in British courts.
With the deal now shelved, the future status of the Chagos Islands remains uncertain, as does the long-term security of the Diego Garcia base. The UK government has not indicated whether it will seek alternative arrangements to maintain its military presence in the region.
