Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has said the Chagos deal cannot go ahead without Donald Trump's support after the US President told Andy Burnham it was "terrible". Speaking this morning, Mr Streeting said the UK will "not at this stage" pay Mauritius at least £120 million annually.
Payment paused amid US opposition
The payment was part of the much-maligned deal to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, which Mr Streeting said: "Can't go ahead without American support". It comes just hours after Mr Burnham appeared to agree with the US President that the deal needed to change, nodding and agreeing when Mr Trump called it "terrible".
Sir Keir Starmer's Government signed a treaty last year agreeing to hand the islands over to Mauritius, an ally of China. The deal established a £40 million fund for Chagossians expelled from the islands, and the UK agreed to pay Mauritius at least £120 million annually over the 99-year agreement, with the total cost in nominal terms expected to reach around £35 billion.
Diego Garcia base at the centre
Asked whether the yearly payment would go ahead, the Defence Secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Not at this stage. We've got to get to a point where we can agree on a deal." Mr Streeting added that it would be "a price worth paying" if it secured the UK's long-term ability to use the military base on Diego Garcia.
Access to the Diego Garcia base has caused concerns for the White House after they were not allowed to refuel bombers being sent to blow up Tehran. Mr Trump said yesterday, in a press appearance with Mr Burnham: "I don't support it. I think it's terrible. It was a terrible deal. [Mauritius] all of a sudden says they have ownership. Somebody has ownership that never showed up before, after decades and centuries. I think it's ridiculous."
Burnham pledges to find a resolution
Mr Burnham then told the press: "I've inherited the situation, and we need a resolution. It's critical to safeguard the future of the base, and that matters to us for security reasons, but also clearly to the United States as well. So what I said in the meeting is that we will work to find that resolution between the different sides, and we'll work hard to find it."
