The United Kingdom will review and rework its 2025 agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The decision, announced by Defence Secretary Wes Streeting on September 23, 2026, follows strong opposition from US President Donald Trump, who branded the pact a "terrible deal" during a meeting with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The UK has suspended annual lease payments of at least £120 million to Mauritius while it seeks a resolution that secures the strategic Diego Garcia military base with US backing.
United Kingdom's decision to review the deal
- ▪United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated on September 22, 2026, that the United Kingdom would work to find a resolution regarding the Chagos Islands agreement signed in 2025 that is acceptable to all sides
- ▪United Kingdom Defence Secretary Wes Streeting announced on September 23, 2026, that the United Kingdom will review and rework the Chagos Islands sovereignty agreement because the United States does not support it
- ▪United Kingdom Defence Secretary Wes Streeting confirmed on September 23, 2026, that annual lease payments of at least £120 million to Mauritius are suspended during the review of the Chagos Islands agreement
Donald Trump's opposition to the deal
- ▪United States President Donald Trump criticized the Chagos Islands agreement signed in 2025 as a "terrible deal" and "ridiculous" during a meeting with United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham on September 22, 2026
- ▪United States President Donald Trump initially supported the Chagos Islands pact signed in 2025 before reversing his position and calling it "an act of great stupidity" in January
The original sovereignty agreement
- ▪The United Kingdom government argued that transferring sovereignty to Mauritius was necessary to secure long-term legal certainty for the Diego Garcia military base
- ▪The proposed Chagos Islands agreement had not completed the parliamentary process required to take effect in United Kingdom law before being put on hold
- ▪The United Kingdom and Mauritius signed a treaty in May 2025 to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while leasing back the Diego Garcia military base for 99 years
Criticism of the agreement
- ▪The original Chagos Islands agreement involved overall estimated costs of £3.4 billion, which opponents argued could reach £35 billion after adjusting for inflation
- ▪Opponents argued that the Chagos Islands agreement signed in 2025 risked allowing China to establish a presence on the archipelago
Diego Garcia military base
- ▪The island of Diego Garcia hosts a strategically important joint United Kingdom-United States military facility that serves as a sensitive national security asset
- ▪United Kingdom Defence Secretary Wes Streeting warned that ignoring Mauritius's claim to sovereignty posed a risk to the future of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia
History of the sovereignty dispute
- ▪The International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion in 2019 stating that the United Kingdom's administration of the Chagos Islands should end to complete Mauritius's decolonization
- ▪The United Kingdom retained control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence in 1968, subsequently evicting thousands of Chagossians to establish the Diego Garcia military facility
Debatable claims
- ▪The UK should scrap its deal to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius
- ▪Ceding the Chagos Islands to Mauritius threatens Western security
- ▪US opposition justifies the UK halting the Chagos Islands deal
- ▪The ICJ advisory opinion obligates the UK to cede the Chagos Islands
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