Donald Trump may still veto Sir Keir Starmer’s controversial plans to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, despite the PM’s plans to push ahead with the deal.
With reports that the UK and Mauritius have come to terms on a new agreement on the Indian Ocean archipelago, a White House spokesperson told The Independent that President Trump has not given it his blessing.
There are serious concerns about the top secret joint US/UK airbase on Diego Garcia and the potential for Chinese interference if the UK gives up sovereignty on the islands.
And while the Biden administration had been happy to support the old deal struck last year to hand over the islands, Trump has been taking advice from Brexiteers and right-wingers in the UK to veto the agreement.
Reports that Sir Keir’s government has squared off a new agreement with Mauritius with Mr Trump have been denied by the White House.
A White House official said: “The Trump administration continues to review the British government’s agreement with Mauritius and potential implications for Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia.”
It is understood that new secretary of state Marco Rubio and the UK foreign secretary David Lammy are due to meet about the issue at a conference in Munich next week. In their first conversation, Mr Rubio made it clear that he was concerned about Chinese interference on the islands. The subject could also come up when Sir Keir meets Mr Trump in the coming weeks.
The knockback comes amid reports that the deal is much worse than the one originally agreed last year.
Since the original agreement, there has been a change of government in Mauritius and the new prime minister Navin Ramgoolam said that what was on the table was “not good enough”.
There was speculation last night that the UK could end up paying £18 billion instead of the original £9bn to lease back Diego Garcia for 99 years. Unlike the original deal, there would not be an automatic extension mechanism after 99 years.
Also, it was claimed that despite numerous promises to publish the cost of the deal by ministers in the Commons, they would not be going ahead with that pledge.
However, a Foreign Office spokesperson: “This reporting is incorrect. The figures being quoted are entirely inaccurate and misleading. There has been no change to the terms of extension in the treaty. The UK will only sign a deal that is in our national interest.”
The reports followed an answer in the Mauritian parliament by Mr Ramgoolam where he stated that an agreement would be signed between the UK and Mauritius regarding Chagos.
However, he added that the British are still waiting for the approval of the Trump administration.
In the UK, the prime minister’s official spokesperson told journalists details of the treaty would be set out before parliament “in the usual way” when the deal was finalised – but repeatedly refused to clarify whether those details would include the costs.
They were unable to say whether Sir Keir is confident Mr Trump will accept the deal, adding: “We are in a new US administration, as I say, it’s only right that they have the opportunity to consider it fully, and we are giving them the opportunity to do so.”
The prospect of a deal without the details being published has infuriated Chagosans who want to return to the islands but have been ignored in the negotiations.
A spokesman for the Chagosans said: “The UK government still has not make any contact with the chagossians community regarding the deal. Our lawyer sent them a letter last week and we are still awaiting a response from them.”
The potential deal was also attacked by the Tories.
Shadow armed forces minister Mark Francois said: “It is utterly unacceptable that Mauritian MPs seem to know more about this deal than our own MPs in parliament. With the defence budget already under immense strain, the government not only can’t say how much we’d be paying to rent back our own islands, they don’t even know which department would foot the bill. If the reported £18bn figure is true, this is financial and strategic madness.”
Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel added: “It seems Keir Starmer has learnt absolutely nothing – and is still putting his leftie shame of our country’s history over our national security, and our longstanding relationship with our closest ally.
“He has the audacity to tell the British people they will foot the bill and pay for the indignity of his surrender of the Chagos Islands, as he isolates the new US administration by bending the knee to Mauritius and emboldening our enemies with his disastrous surrender deal.
“Starmer and David Lammy must urgently explain their epic failure of diplomacy which is putting our special relationship at risk while they play pathetic gesture politics.”
