The defence secretary announced that the United Kingdom is reviewing its agreement to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Wes Streeting said the agreement is under renewed review after US President Donald Trump labelled it “terrible” during his address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
Under the original deal, the UK would surrender sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while continuing to lease the joint UK‑US military base, paying roughly £101 million (about $136 million) annually for a facility valued for its strategic position in the Indian Ocean.
In April, following the agreement brokered under Sir Keir Starmer, the deal was put on hold indefinitely after President Trump withdrew his backing.
Streeting noted that a review is necessary “because the United States does not support the current arrangement.”
“What President Trump said yesterday wasn’t new, but it makes clear that his stance on the Chagos agreement, as it stands, remains unchanged,” he said on BBC Breakfast.
“Therefore, we must engage further with our American partners, including President Trump and his administration, to shape an agreement we can endorse,” he added.
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