Overview
- The government pulled Monday’s House of Lords debate on the Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean Territory bill after Conservative peers tabled an amendment citing a 1966 UK–US pact that says the territory shall remain under UK sovereignty.
- President Donald Trump abruptly denounced the UK–Mauritius agreement as “an act of great stupidity,” reversing earlier US support and intensifying pressure on London.
- Ministers say they remain committed to securing long‑term access to the joint UK–US base on Diego Garcia and are engaging Washington on updating the 1966 arrangements.
- The May 2025 deal would transfer sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius while granting the UK a 99‑year lease to retain the base, with an estimated cost of about £101m per year (£3.4bn total).
- Opposition to the bill has grown in the Lords and across parties, with some Labour MPs urging a rethink, as the legislation continues its late‑stage parliamentary “ping‑pong” and faces legal and cost concerns grounded in the 2019 ICJ advisory opinion.