The United Kingdom has shelved a bill that would have handed its sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a decision that comes after President Donald Trump lambasted the idea as an “act of great stupidity.”
The U.K. had moved to cede control over the archipelago to Mauritius, drafting legislation due to be taken up by Parliament. If approved, it would put the U.K. into a 99-year lease in order to continue to operate its military base it shares with the United States at Diego Garcia, the largest island of the Chagos archipelago.
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As of Saturday, those plans have been dashed, with the bill dropping from the current parliamentary session.
Responding to those reports, the U.K. government signaled it would never initiate the deal without U.S. backing.
“We have always said we would only proceed with the deal if it has US support. We are continuing to engage with the US and Mauritius,” it said in a statement.
But the U.K. defended the deal’s framework, suggesting it is imperative for “long-term operational security” at the base.
“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,” the statement said. “We continue to believe the agreement is the best way to protect the long-term future of the base.”
The sovereignty over the remote islands had been a repeated source of tension between Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who have had a testy relationship thus far.
At one point, Trump appeared resigned to the deal, suggesting it was Starmer’s best bet, only to later flip his opinion back to blasting the prime minister for making a “big mistake.”
The islands have also received significant attention due to the Iran war hostilities.
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The U.K.-U.S. base at Diego Garcia has hosted American bombers during the war, which Starmer greenlit after initial hesitance.
Diego Garcia was also targeted by Iran in a missile strike that failed but showed the expanded range of Tehran’s missile program.
