9 hours Ago By Eleanor Burleigh
Sir Keir Starmer is determined to push through an agreement with Mauritius over the Chagos Islands despite national security fears from the White House . Allies of Donald Trump are reportedly afraid that the Prime Minister's plans to relinquish sovereignty of the Chagos Islands would open the door to Iran and China spying on the US military. While Downing Street has conceded that the move is subject to US scrutiny, Mr Starmer looks set to press on with or without his support after "committing" to a deal during a conversation with Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam on Friday afternoon.
The Prime Minister "reiterated his commitment" to handing the islands and their joint US-UK military base over to Mauritius during the phone call and "discussed the strong relationship between the UK and Mauritius, which they looked forward to expanding," a No. 10 spokesperson said. The deal would involve the base on the archipelago's largest island Diego Garcia being leased to Britain for 99 years at a reported cost of £9 billion to maintain a UK and US military presence.
But security experts in the US have voiced fears over Mauritius’ links to Iran, with the republic “exploring the possibility” of a university exchange programme and joint research initiatives with the Islamic country. There are also fears that China could exert influence on the territory, after becoming the biggest importer into Mauritius following a free trade deal with the country in 2021. Mr Starmer "underlined the need for a deal to secure the military base on Diego Garcia" during the conversation with the Mauritian leader, stressing the importance of ensuring protection from unspecified "malign influence".
It comes after Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, warned of China’s “malign influence” in the Indian Ocean region during a phone call with Foreign Secretary David Lammy this week. Mr Rubio described the proposed agreement as “concerning” before joining Mr Trump’s administration last year, suggesting it would “provide an opportunity for communist China to gain valuable intelligence on our naval support facility in Mauritius”. “This poses a serious threat to our national security interests in the Indian Ocean and threatens critical US military posture in the region,” he added.
Reports suggest that Mr Starmer tried to push through the deal, which had been greenlit by the Biden administration, before the new president took office on January 20 - something Downing Street has denied. The government argues that an international court ruling in favour of Mauritian sovereignty means a treaty settling the future of the island group is the only way to guarantee the continued operation of the base. However, Downing Street said it was “obviously now right” for President Trump’s administration to consider the deal.
A spokesperson said: “We will only agree to a deal that is in the UK’s best interests and protects our national security. “It is perfectly reasonable for the new US administration to actually consider the detail and we will obviously have those discussions with them.” The Chagos Islands have been the subject of diplomatic controversy for decades, with the UK retaining sovereignty of the archipelago after Mauritius broke free and gained independence in 1968.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled that the UK’s claim to the island group wasn’t legal and the UN General Assembly also voted for Britain to hand back the territory to Mauritius. Mr Starmer negotiated a deal to hand back the islands while retaining the military base in October 2024, but a change of leadership in Mauritius and the US have held up progress in the intervening months. The plans have also attracted criticism from political figures in the UK, with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage warning of a “very deep disquiet” in the US administration about the deal.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has also accused the Prime Minister of “negotiating a secret deal to surrender British territory” and forcing UK taxpayers to “pay for the humiliation”..
