Keir Starmer has halted the progress of the Chagos Islands bill in Parliament, following criticism from Donald Trump, who described it as “an act of stupidity.”
The Government criticized Tory peers for laying an amendment in the House of Lords that would have obstructed the bill’s ratification process.
In May, the UK and Mauritius signed a deal granting Mauritius sovereignty over the Chagos Islands after centuries of British control. The bill to confirm the agreement was scheduled to return to the House of Lords on Monday.
The process was paused shortly after Trump’s negative comments, suggesting that the UK relinquishing sovereignty over the islands could be a factor in the US’s interest in acquiring Greenland, a stance he later softened.
The pause coincides with Tory concerns that the deal may clash with a 1960s treaty affirming the UK’s ownership of the Islands.
A Government spokesperson emphasized the commitment to securing the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia, crucial for national security, and criticized the peers’ actions as irresponsible and jeopardizing national security priorities.
Labour Lords sources attributed the pause to Tory peers tabling a disruptive amendment to government legislation shortly before a scheduled debate.
The Chagos Islands have been under British control since 1814 when they were ceded by France along with Mauritius. The islands were later established as the British Indian Ocean Territory in 1965, leading to the forced relocation of the native Chagossian people to allow the US to build a military base on Diego Garcia.
Last year, the UK agreed to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while retaining control of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The deal includes a 99-year leaseback agreement for Diego Garcia, estimated to cost the UK £101 million annually. The Trump administration had previously praised the deal as a significant achievement.
Tory Shadow Home Secretary Priti Patel claimed credit for the legislative pause, characterizing it as a victory against Keir Starmer’s Chagos Surrender proposal. Patel criticized the deal for transferring British territory and funds to a Chinese ally and called for its abandonment, pledging ongoing Conservative opposition to the agreement.