Mauritius vows Chagos ‘decolonisation’ after UK shelves handover bill

A senior official in Mauritius has pledged to push for the “decolonised” status of the Chagos Islands after Keir Starmer was forced to shelve legislation aimed at transferring the islands. UK officials confirmed on Friday that there was insufficient time to pass the bill within the current parliamentary session, which is set to end in the coming weeks, citing a lack of support from Donald Trump.

Following the collapse of the voluntary handover plan, Dhananjay Ramful stated at an Indian Ocean conference that Mauritius would pursue control of the territory.

“We will spare no effort to seize any diplomatic or legal avenue to complete the decolonisation process,” he said. “This is a matter of justice.”

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The setback highlights tensions between the US and UK, particularly after Trump criticised Starmer over the war in Iran. While the Chagos plan had backing from the US state department, Trump warned Starmer he was “making a big mistake” by agreeing to transfer sovereignty in exchange for continued use of the joint US-UK airbase on Diego Garcia.

Although Trump later expressed limited support, the UK withdrew the bill after the US did not formally approve amendments to a 1966 British-American treaty. A revised Chagos bill is not expected to appear in the king’s speech in May.

Historical context and legal ruling

The Chagos Islands, officially known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, have been under UK control since the 19th century. In 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled that the UK had unlawfully separated the islands from Mauritius prior to granting independence in 1968. Thousands of islanders were forcibly removed to make way for the US-UK military base.

A government spokesperson said: “Diego Garcia is a key strategic military asset for both the UK and the US. Ensuring its long-term operational security is, and will continue to be, our priority – it is the entire reason for the deal.

“We continue to believe the agreement is the best way to protect the long-term future of the base, but we have always said we would only proceed with the deal if it has US support.”

Details of the shelved agreement

The proposed arrangement, agreed with former US president Joe Biden, would have seen Britain transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while paying about £35bn to lease the airbase back for 99 years.

Simon McDonald said the government had “no other choice” but to halt the plan. “When the president of the United States is openly hostile, the government has to rethink, so this agreement, this treaty will go into the deep freeze for the time being,” he said.

Gavin Glover said the outcome “does not come as a surprise”, attributing it to strained ties between Trump and Starmer. “We are dependent on Anglo-American relations … the US and Britain will have to reach an agreement,” he said, adding that Mauritius plans to meet the British government on 22 April regarding the deal.

On Sunday, Wes Streeting rejected claims that the agreement was no longer viable. “It is fair to say there has been a shift in position in Washington,” he said. “We’ve been clear throughout that the objective is to make sure we secure the Chagos Islands for the long term in British and American interests. I think there are lots of people in the US administration who understand what we’re trying to achieve, who support that objective.”