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2mo ago

UK Halts Chagos Return Plan Over Lack of US Backing

The pause highlights London’s reliance on Washington to secure long-term access to the Diego Garcia base.

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Cette photo satellite, fournie par Planet Labs PBC et datée du 16 juin 2025, offre une vue d’ensemble de la base militaire de Diego Garcia, située dans l’archipel des Chagos, dans l’océan Indien.
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Overview

  • Downing Street, which announced the suspension Saturday, said it would only move forward if the United States clearly supports the plan.
  • The government will not bring the implementing bill to the next parliamentary agenda, making passage this session unlikely.
  • Officials say talks with the White House and Mauritius continue as the UK seeks a 99-year lease to keep operations on Diego Garcia.
  • The 2025 agreement would shift sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while retaining the Anglo‑American military base on Diego Garcia, a key staging point in past Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
  • President Donald Trump first signaled support and later called the deal a grave mistake, a reversal British media describe as a setback for Prime Minister Keir Starmer and a strain on the UK–US relationship.