The UK will review its agreement with Mauritius to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, defence secretary Wes Streeting said on Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump again criticised the deal and said he did not support it.
Because the United States does not back the agreement in its current form, streeting said the review was necessary. The announcement came a day after Trump criticised the agreement during his first face-to-face meeting with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Speaking to BBC, he said Trump’s latest comments had made clear that the US president’s position had not changed and that Britain would need to work with Washington to find an arrangement it could support. Earlier reporting noted: ‘No change in President Trump’s position’: UK to review Chagos Islands deal with Mauritius UK to review Chagos Islands agreement Earlier reporting noted: The UK is “reviewing” its Chagos Islands deal with Mauritius, British defence secretary Wes Streeting said on Wednesday, saying the decision was taken because the United States “does not support” the agreement. Earlier reporting noted: His remarks came a day after US President Donald Trump, who initially gave his approval to the deal but later reversed his decision, called it “terrible” during his first face-to-face meeting with the UK’s new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, at the UN General Assembly in New York City.
Under the agreement negotiated by former prime minister Keir Starmer’s government, Britain would transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while retaining access to the Diego Garcia military base through a long-term lease.
Trump called the agreement a “terrible deal” and said he did not support it. Burnham indicated that Britain would look at the issue again and said the government would work to find a resolution involving the different sides. “So we have to do more work with our American allies, with President Trump and his administration, to get the deal to a place where he can support it,” he told the BBC. Burnham has said Britain will work with the different sides to find a resolution, while Streeting said the UK would continue discussions with the US administration. Streeting said the government was working towards an arrangement that would provide long-term certainty for Diego Garcia and one that, while it may not satisfy everyone, would be acceptable to all sides.
