UK puts Chagos Islands handover deal on hold after Trump withdraws support

LONDON (TIP): Britain’s agreement to hand Mauritius the Chagos Islands that are home to a strategic UK-American military base is on indefinite hold because US President Donald Trump’s administration has withdrawn its support for the deal. The British government acknowledged Saturday that legislation to ratify the agreement for the islands in the Indian Ocean has run out of time in Parliament. It’s the latest fallout from souring relations between Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government and the Trump administration. Trump initially backed the deal, but changed his mind in January, calling a deal to transfer sovereignty of the islands, home to the joint military base on Diego Garcia, “an act of GREAT STUPIDITY” in a social media post. The UK put the bill’s progress on hold, and the government now concedes it will run out of time to become law before the current session of Parliament ends in the next few weeks. It is not expected to be included in the list of bills announced by King Charles III for the next session of Parliament, which begins May 13. Despite British frustration with the US change of stance, officials still hope the deal can be revived.