The United Kingdom is preparing to reconsider its agreement with Mauritius over the future of the Chagos Islands after the United States raised renewed objections to the arrangement. The development has placed the long-running sovereignty dispute back at the centre of discussions between London, Washington and Mauritius.
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said on Wednesday that the agreement, in its current form, cannot move forward without US support. His comments followed renewed criticism from US President Donald Trump, who has questioned the proposed arrangements concerning the strategically important Indian Ocean archipelago.
The Chagos Islands have been administered by Britain for decades, while Mauritius has long maintained that the archipelago forms part of its territory. Under the agreement reached by the UK and Mauritius, sovereignty over the islands would ultimately be transferred to Mauritius, while Britain and the United States would retain important defence arrangements around Diego Garcia.
Diego Garcia is the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago and hosts a major joint UK-US military facility. The agreement provides for continued British and American access, basing and military operations at the facility, making the island particularly important to the defence relationship between London and Washington.
The British government has stressed that protecting the future operation of the military base is a central consideration. Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently spoke with Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam and said Britain wanted to work with Mauritius and the United States to find a way forward that would secure the operation of Diego Garcia and protect UK national-security interests.
The issue was also discussed during Burnham's meeting with Trump at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. According to the British government's account of the meeting, the two leaders discussed Diego Garcia, with Burnham expressing his commitment to working with all parties to reach a solution.
Streeting's latest comments indicate that Washington's position has become an important factor in determining whether the existing agreement can proceed. Reports said the UK had already paused payments linked to the arrangement while the government reassessed the situation.
The disagreement creates a complicated diplomatic situation for Britain. London must balance its relationship with Mauritius and the wider question of Chagossian sovereignty with its longstanding defence partnership with the United States. At the same time, Mauritius has a direct interest in the sovereignty provisions and the broader terms of any final settlement.
For the UK government, the challenge is therefore not simply whether to proceed with the original agreement, but whether changes can be negotiated that address American concerns while preserving the wider framework of an agreement with Mauritius.
The future of the Chagos Islands remains closely tied to the strategic importance of Diego Garcia. Any revised arrangement will likely need to provide sufficient guarantees for the military facility while also addressing the sovereignty question that has remained unresolved for decades.
For now, the agreement's future remains uncertain. British officials have indicated that further discussions with Washington and Mauritius will be necessary before a final course is determined. The outcome could have implications not only for relations between the three countries, but also for the long-term political and security arrangements surrounding one of the Indian Ocean's most strategically significant territories.