Chagos Islands Treaty Faces Political Deadlock
Stephen Doughty, a Foreign Office minister, has stated that a treaty concerning the transfer of sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has become "impossible to agree at political level." Consequently, the associated bill will not complete its passage through the UK Parliament.
Doughty informed the House of Commons that the agreement with Mauritius was initially negotiated in close coordination with the United States. However, the position of former US President Donald Trump "appears to have changed," leading to the US withdrawing its support for the agreement.
Details of the Treaty and Military Base Lease
Under the terms of the proposed deal, the UK was to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while leasing the island of Diego Garcia—a site of a joint UK-US military base—for 99 years to maintain ongoing operations.
Doughty explained that Trump had initially described the treaty as "very strong and powerful," and that the document had been "tested thoroughly at all levels of the United States system under two administrations and found to be robust." Despite this, the withdrawal of US support has made it impossible to agree on an update to the 1966 UK-US agreement, known as the "exchange of notes," which governs the availability of British Indian Ocean territories for defense purposes.
Impact on Parliamentary Process
The minister emphasized that updating the 1966 agreement was essential to ratify the treaty. As a result,
"the Diego Garcia bill can therefore not complete its passage this parliamentary session and cannot be carried over due to its advanced progression through parliament."
Despite this setback, Doughty stated,
"The government nevertheless remains confident that the Diego Garcia treaty is the best means of protecting the full operation of the military base for future generations, for us and our allies."
Political Context and Reactions
The delay in the UK’s efforts to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius reflects broader political tensions, including criticism from Trump directed at Labour leader Keir Starmer over his position on the Iran war.
Regarding the impact on the Chagossian community, Doughty acknowledged,
"The delay to the treaty will be sad news to many Chagossians – although I accept not all – who rightly see it as the only viable means to a sustainable programme of resettlement, which Mauritius would be able to implement under its terms."
