The UK has dismissed threats from Mauritius to sue for compensation if the Chagos Islands deal collapses.
The Indian Ocean state has said it is ‘exploring legal avenues’ after the legislation to implement the agreement was effectively put on hold.
Keir Starmer has been desperately trying to convince Donald Trump that the deal is the only way to secure the future of the critical Diego Garcia military base.
The US president initially supported the plan to cede the British and lease back the remote site for £35billion over 99 years.
But he has since condemned it amid a spat over Sir Keir refusing permission to use UK bases for American strikes on Iran.
Nigel Farage has declared he will push the case for the ‘surrender’ treaty to be ditched when he dines at Mr Trump’s Mar a Lago resort in Florida this weekend.
Keir Starmer has been facing fresh fury over his decision to cede the strategically-important Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius, which is seen as an ally of China
It is understood Sir Keir’s government believes there are no grounds in international law for a compensation claim if the treaty is not ratified
Nigel Farage has declared he will push the case for the ‘surrender’ treaty to be ditched when he dines at Donald Trump’s (pictured) Mar a Lago resort in Florida this weekend
Mauritius PM Navin Ramgoolam has raised the prospect of legal action if Britain does not go ahead with the deal.
‘We are exploring legal avenues in the Chagos case,’ Mr Ramgoolam told local newspaper DefMedia.
But it is understood the UK government believes there are no grounds in international law for a compensation claim if the treaty is not ratified.
A Downing Street spokesman said they were still working on the deal. ‘Maintaining control of Diego Garcia is the entire basis of the agreement that we have reached,’ the spokesman said.
‘It means we maintain our control, protects against legal challenges to its operation and locks out our adversaries from being able to compromise our operation.’
Sir Keir has been facing an upsurge in anger over his decision to hand the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius, which is seen as an ally of China.
Earlier this week Mr Trump issued a new blast at the deal as he fumed at Sir Keir’s initial bar on use of Diego Garcia for the Iran strikes.
An inter-ministerial committee in Port Louis, chaired by Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam (pictured), expressed its ‘concern’ that the Chagos Islands deal has still not come into force
Meanwhile, it emerged a top UK diplomat had quit the Foreign Office saying the Government’s decision to cede control of the Chagos Islands and Sir Keir’s failure to act immediately after Iran’s attack on a British base in Cyprus had influenced his decision.
Mauritius itself has demanded an ‘immediate ceasefire’ between the US and Iran, branding the strikes on Tehran as ‘illegal’.
The PM has now said he is allowing British bases to be used for the ‘specific and limited defensive purpose’ of targeting Iran’s missile storage depots and launchers.