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3h ago

UK Puts Chagos Handover on Hold After Trump Withdraws Support

Downing Street ties any restart to formal U.S. approval.

Diego Garcia, one of the islands in the archipelago, hosts an important US military base.
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Supporters and members of the Chagos Islands hold placards and flags outside the Houses of Parliament in January to protest against the proposed deal.
UK to hold off on deal ceding Chagos Islands amid US opposition

Overview

  • Britain said Saturday it has paused the Chagos transfer and the bill is not expected to appear in May’s King’s Speech.
  • The government cited President Donald Trump’s public reversal and the lack of a formal U.S. sign‑off, saying it will proceed only with clear American backing.
  • The shelved plan would return sovereignty to Mauritius while leasing Diego Garcia to the UK for about 99 years to keep the joint U.S.–UK base in place.
  • Diego Garcia’s location in the middle of the Indian Ocean gives U.S. and UK forces fast reach across the Middle East, East Africa, and South Asia.
  • The pause fuels political clashes in London and leaves a decolonisation dispute unresolved, as a 2019 ICJ opinion and displaced Chagossians’ calls to return keep pressure on the UK.