image sourced from original article at Labour's proposed deal to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has been thrown into confusion after a Foreign Office minister told Parliament the agreement was being 'paused', only for his own department to later insist there was no pause. The reversal followed intervention from the President of the United States, who warned it would be a 'big mistake' to jeopardise control of the joint military base on Diego Garcia, prompting urgent discussions between London and Washington.
The agreement would see the United Kingdom transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius while paying 35 billion pounds to secure continued use of the base for ninety nine years. Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel has urged the Government to abandon the deal 'once and for all', calling it an embarrassment and accusing ministers of mishandling negotiations and weakening Britain’s standing with allies.
Further pressure has come from Reform United Kingdom leader Nigel Farage, who claimed the Maldives may launch a rival sovereignty claim in the International Court of Justice. Meanwhile, a group of exiled Chagossians who recently returned to the islands face possible removal, with a court set to consider their legal status as debate over the territory’s future intensifies.
