Mauritius issues fiery swipe at Britain with vow to reclaim Chagos Islands after Keir Starmer delays deal

Oliver Trapnell
Sat, 11 Apr 2026 19:32:42 +0000

Mauritius has issued a fiery swipe at Britain after Keir Starmer delayed the announcement of the Chagos Islands bill following a loss of support from Donald Trump.

The nation promised to exhaust all available options to regain sovereignty over the Chagos Islands.

Speaking at an Indian Ocean Conference held in Port Louis, Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful declared the nation would pursue every possible route to achieve this goal.

"We will spare no effort to seize any diplomatic or legal avenue to complete the decolonisation process in this part of the Indian Ocean," Mr Ramful said.

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"This is a matter of justice."

The archipelago's principal island, Diego Garcia, houses a joint military facility operated by Britain and the United States.

Britain has confirmed the agreement will only move forward subject to American backing, according to a statement from Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Downing Street office.

The Government has been compelled to suspend legislation transferring the islands to Mauritius owing to opposition from Washington.

US President Donald Trump previously condemned the proposed arrangement as "an act of great stupidity," adding it was a "big mistake".

His criticism has proved decisive in halting the parliamentary process.

Reports indicate the necessary legislation now faces insufficient time to pass through Parliament ahead of next month's King's Speech, with no new bill currently scheduled.

A Government spokesman indicated Britain would persist in arguing to Washington that the agreement represents the optimal approach to safeguarding the base's future operations.

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Mauritius Attorney General Gavin Glover said the development had been anticipated, attributing the impasse to deteriorating relations between Mr Trump and Sir Keir.

Speaking to a local newspaper, Glover emphasised the interconnected nature of the dispute with bilateral Anglo-American dynamics.

"We are dependent on Anglo-American relations...the USA and Britain will have to reach an agreement," Glover said.

He noted that resolution would ultimately require Washington and London to find common ground.

Talks between Mauritian representatives and British government officials are scheduled to take place on 22 April to address the future of the Chagos arrangement.

The meeting will represent the next opportunity for the two nations to negotiate a path forward on the stalled agreement.

The suspended agreement would have seen Britain surrender sovereignty while paying approximately £35billion to lease back the military installation for 99 years.

The archipelago's position in the middle of the Indian Ocean provides crucial military capabilities and serves as a counterweight to Chinese regional influence.

Between the late 1960s and 1970s, Britain forcibly removed up to 2,000 indigenous Chagossians to establish the Diego Garcia air base.