‘Reckless’ Tories pressure Starmer to pause Chagos invoice after Donald Trump backlash
The Government accused Tory peers of “irresponsible and reckless” behaviour – and of using the House of Lords to “interfere with Britain’s national security priorities”
The Government has been forced to pause the progress of the bill(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Keir Starmer has paused the Chagos Islands bill’s progress through Parliament, days after Donald Trump branded it “an act of stupidity’.
The Government branded Tory peers “irresponsible and reckless” after they laid an amendment in the House of Lords which would have frustrated the progress of the bill to ratify the deal.
The UK and Mauritius signed a deal in May to give Mauritius sovereignty over the Chagos Islands after two centuries under British control. The bill to ratify the deal was expected to return to the House of Lords on Monday.
But the process was paused tonight – just days after the US President gave his scathing assessment. Trump argued the UK giving up sovereignty over the islands was among the reasons the US should take ownership of Greenland, something he appears to have since walked back on.
The pause comes amid Tory claims that the deal could conflict with a treaty signed with the US in the 1960s which affirms the UK’s sovereignty over the Islands.
A Government spokesperson said: “The Government remains fully committed to the deal to secure the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia, which is vital for our national security.
“This is irresponsible and reckless behaviour by peers, whose roles is to check legislation, not interfere with our national security priorities.”
The Chagos Islands have been a British territory since 1814, when France ceded them along with Mauritius. The islands were established as the separate British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) in 1965, and the native Chagossian people were forcibly removed soon afterwards to allow the US – at Britain’s invitation – to build a military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the territory.
The UK agreed a deal last year to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, while retaining control of a UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. Sir Keir says the 99-year agreement to lease back Diego Garcia will cost the UK £101m a year. The Trump administration previously backed the deal, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling it a “monumental achievement” in May.
Tory Shadow Home Secretary Priti Patel claimed credit for the pause on the legislation, saying: “This is a major victory for everyone standing against Keir Starmer’s disgraceful Chagos Surrender. In the face of relentless Conservative pressure, Labour have pulled their shameful Bill from Monday’s order paper. The deal, which hands British sovereign territory and £35 billion to an ally of China, should be dropped altogether. The Conservatives will continue to fight the surrender every step of the way.”
