Labour MPs are pressing Prime Minister Keir Starmer to scrap the proposed transfer of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, according to reports. The deal, which would have seen the UK cede sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago while retaining control of the Diego Garcia military base under a 99-year lease costing up to £101 million annually, has faced mounting opposition.
US President Donald Trump initially supported the agreement but reversed his stance in January, calling it an 'act of great stupidity'. The plan was already confirmed not to appear in the upcoming King's Speech, and now Labour backbenchers are demanding it be killed off entirely to avoid further embarrassment.
Dan Carden, MP for Liverpool Walton and leader of the Blue Labour parliamentary caucus, said: 'It's clear the US administration doesn't support the Chagos deal, and the government should make the best of a bad situation and finally drop it.' Graham Stringer, MP for Blackley & Middleton South, added: 'The government should ditch this financially and militarily unjustifiable policy. Hanging on will just lead to further embarrassment for our country.'
The decision to cede Chagos was intended to secure the long-term future of the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia, amid legal rulings from the UN's International Court of Justice and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea that threatened its operability. Defence Secretary John Healey had warned that without the deal, the base could become inoperable within years.
However, relations with the US soured after Starmer refused to allow US forces to use Diego Garcia or UK airbases for initial raids on Iran, citing legal concerns. Former diplomat Simon McDonald said the Prime Minister had 'no choice' but to abandon the plan given an 'openly hostile' Trump. Labour MPs also worry the policy is a vote-loser ahead of local council elections in May.
