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A measure operationalising a U.K.-Mauritius pact successful U.K. law, recognising the sovereignty of Mauritius implicit the Chagos Archipelago, is connected intermission successful the British parliament portion the U.K. authorities discusses concerns with the U.S. government. The Indian Ocean islands, are location to Deigo Garica, which houses a U.K.-U.S. subject base.
The treaty, signed successful May 2025, would spot Mauritius getting sovereignty implicit the archipelago portion the U.K. would beryllium fixed a 99-year lease for Diego Garcia and wage Mauritius an mean yearly magnitude of GBP 101 million.
“ We volition bring that [legislation] backmost to Parliament astatine the due time. We are pausing for discussions with our American counterparts,” U.K. Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer said connected Wednesday (February 25, 2026) afternoon.
The treaty, which was discussed implicit 11 rounds of negotiations betwixt Mauritius and the erstwhile Conservative U.K. government, has been called into question aft U.S. President Donald Trump, who gave his backing to the treaty, changed his caput and publically called for it to beryllium reconsidered successful much caller weeks. As precocious arsenic past week, Mr. Trump said Diego Garcia should not beryllium fixed distant and suggested it whitethorn beryllium needed successful the lawsuit of a U.S. onslaught connected Iran.
Nothing successful the U.K.-Mauritius woody had changed, Mr. Falconer, since the U.S. medication had approved it.
The British government’s nonsubjective was to guarantee that the basal successful Diego Garcia was unafraid successful the long-term, Mr. Falconer told the House of Commons. When the Labour authorities erstwhile it had took bureau recovered that the quality of the U.K. to support power of the basal was nether menace and truthful it was compelled to act, arsenic per the minister.
“Refusing to enactment could person exposed 1 of our astir invaluable subject assets to China,” helium said, adding that the authorities had inherited (from the Conservative Party) wherever the cognition of the basal was nether “immediate jeopardy”.
Mr Falconer’s remarks came aft an Urgent Question successful Parliament from Reform U.K. person Nigel Farage.
Maldives a “few days” distant from claiming Chagos : Farage
“There is nary basis, historically, culturally, successful immoderate way, for Mauritius to person a assertion connected those islands, and the Maldives are upset for 2 reasons,” Mr. Farage said. The archetypal crushed was the decades-long stableness successful the region, arsenic per Mr. Farage.
“And what happens with this treaty, if it goes through, is you decorativeness up with a turf warfare going connected betwixt India and China successful the region, and that so has already started,” helium said.
Mr. Farage besides claimed that the Maldives would, successful a “few days”, lodge a counter-claim to sovereignty implicit the Chagos Islands successful the International Court of Justice and urged the authorities to intermission the advancement of executing the treaty.
Over the weekend, Mr Farage posted a video connected societal media from the Maldives claiming helium had been denied introduction to the Chagos Islands by the U.K. government. A licence is required to sojourn the islands.
Mr. Falconer reminded Mr Farage connected Wednesday that helium would person been turned distant had helium attempted to movie a video astatine immoderate U.K. subject base.
