UK Shelves Chagos Handover After U.S. Withdrawal
Britain has paused legislation returning the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after U.S. withdrawal of support, imperiling a lease arrangement for the Diego Garcia base.
BBC NewsChagos Islands: UK shelves Diego Garcia deal after Trump opposition
The GuardianUK forced to shelve Chagos Islands legislation after US dropped support
ABC NewsUK puts Chagos Islands handover deal on hold after Trump withdraws support
Breitbart NewsUK Shelves Handover of Chagos Islands Following Criticism From Trump
Daily Signal'HUMILIATING DEFEAT': UK Prime Minister Pulls Deal to Sacrifice Islands Housing Key US Military Base
Overview
Britain has shelved legislation to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after the United States withdrew its support, officials said.
The treaty, signed in May 2025, would have ceded sovereignty while leasing Diego Garcia back to the UK and US, but the required formal US exchange of letters to amend a 1966 treaty was not received.
U.S. President Donald Trump publicly criticised the plan in January and on social media, and former Foreign Office head Simon McDonald said the government had "no other choice" but to pause the deal.
The archipelago comprises more than 60 islands and an estimated 10,000 displaced Chagossians and descendants live mainly in Britain, Mauritius and the Seychelles, with officials citing lease costs ranging roughly a390m to a3101m a year.
Officials said the legislation has run out of time before Parliament is prorogued, a new Chagos bill is not expected in the King's Speech and ministers said they will continue engaging with the US and Mauritius.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as a geopolitically driven setback that prioritizes state and military interests. They foreground UK and U.S. officials and strategic context, report Trump’s social-media insult as source content, and relegate displaced Chagossians’ grievances to brief mention—minimizing human-rights and legal perspectives in favor of security framing.