The US president has called Britain’s decision to turn the Indian Ocean territory over to Mauritius “an act of great stupidity”
The British government has indefinitely postponed debate on a bill enshrining into law the UK’s cession of the Chagos archipelago in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius, local media has reported.
The move comes after US President Donald Trump, who previously appeared to back the May 2025 agreement between London and the island nation, lashed out at the planned handover on Tuesday. He called the UK’s decision an act of “great stupidity” and “total weakness,” accusing it of giving away “extremely important land” that hosts a “vital US military base.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer fired back at Trump on Wednesday, claiming that he criticized the Chagos deal “for the express purpose of putting pressure on me and Britain in relation to my values and principles on the future of Greenland.” The PM insisted that he would not yield on his position that Greenland is a part of Denmark.
Late on Friday, the Labour government decided that the Chagos Islands agreement would not be debated in the House of Lords on Monday as planned. The upper house will take up the issue at an unspecified later date, BBC reported.
Earlier in the day, the Conservatives called for a pause, claiming the bill violates a 1996 agreement between Britain and the US, which states that the Indian Ocean territory must remain under UK sovereignty to be available to both countries for security purposes.
According to the Telegraph, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch discussed the Chagos issue with US House speaker Mike Johnson when he visited the British parliament on Monday.
Starmer’s agreement with Mauritius allows the US and UK to retain control of a joint military base on archipelago’s largest island Diego Garcia for an initial period of 99 years at a reported total value of $3.9 billion.
A UK government spokesperson told BBC that it “remains fully committed” to securing the Diego Garcia base. The spokesperson also accused the Conservatives of “irresponsible and reckless behavior,” saying that “their roles is to check legislation, not interfere with our national security priorities.”
The cabinet maintains that the handover of the Chagos Islands is essential for security reasons and would avoid a costly legal battle with Mauritius over the territory.
