The Government has admitted Donald Trump has the legal power to veto the controversial Chagos surrender.
Sir Keir Starmer was forced to withdraw his Chagos Island Bill on Friday after the Conservatives warned it could violate a US-UK treaty from 1966, following the President's condemnation of the deal.
It was due to be debated in the House of Lords on Monday, but now government lawyers must examine the significance of the historical legislation brought forward by the Tories.
In a letter sent late on Friday evening, the Government conceded that an overhaul to the 1966 UK-US defence deal would be required before passing the controversial legislation.
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Shadow Foreign Office spokesman in the House of Lords, Lord Callanan, wrote to Baroness Chapman to ask if the Chagos deal would be legal if current legislation was not changed.
In response, the Africa Minister confirmed a deal can "only be ratified when the relevant domestic law and international arrangements in place".
The Tories branded the revelation as "massively embarrassing" and "sheer incompetence" by Labour, who have allowed the deal to "drag on".
White House officials are lobbying Mr Trump to refuse any overhaul to the treaty. The agreement currently declares Britain’s sovereignty over the islands, but is meant to ensure they remain available to both sides for defence purposes.
The Government has admitted Donald Trump has the legal power to veto the controversial Chagos deal
|PA
Sources with knowledge of the discussions told The Sunday Telegraph the White House was likely "not to accept Mauritius sovereignty" amid a mounting backlash over the deal.
Campaigner Misley Mandarin is planning to fly to the US on Sunday and urge Mr Trump halt the deal, arguing it would pose a "danger to America’s security".
Mr Trump doesn't seem to need any convincing, after branding the deal "an act of great stupidity" and "total weakness" earlier this week.
China's growing economic influence in Mauritius is a major concern, while the Oval Office have also cited crucial security guarantees that the deal could cede.
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The proposed deal would see the UK give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and lease back Diego Garcia
|GETTY
The Chagossian Trust's Jean-Francois Nellan told GB News, if the UK fails to respect their rights as outlined by the UN, the Chagossians could return to the international body's recommendation.
Under Labour's proposed agreement, Britain would hand the islands over to Mauritius but lease back the Diego Garcia military base, a facility that has been used by both US and British forces.
The United Nation's recommendation, however, was "alarmed" the lease would last for 99 years with the possibility of a 40-year extension.
On Saturday, Labour insisted the bill would be rescheduled, claiming it is "all in line with international law" and blamed the Tories for laying a "fatal motion" in the Lords, leaving them with no choice but to pause it.
And a government spokesman insisted it remains "fully committed to the deal to secure the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia, which is vital for our national security."
They added: "This is irresponsible and reckless behaviour by peers, whose role is to check legislation, not interfere with our national security priorities."
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