2026 Chagos Crisis: Tories Claim Ministers Back Down on Deal
The government has postponed parliamentary scrutiny of its flagship legislation to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, prompting Conservative claims that ministers are backtracking after sharp criticism from US President Donald Trump.
Chagos Crisis
A bill designed to place the Chagos agreement into law was due to return to the House of Lords on Monday. Instead, the debate has been pulled and will be rescheduled for an unspecified date, after Conservative peers tabled a late amendment calling for a pause in light of what they described as rapidly shifting geopolitical circumstances.
The legislation would hand the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius while allowing the UK to lease back Diego Garcia, home to a critical joint UK US military base, for an average £101m a year over 99 years. The arrangement was agreed and signed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer last May.
A government spokesperson insisted the delay did not signal a change of course. “The government remains fully committed to the deal to secure the joint UK US base on Diego Garcia, which is vital for our national security,” the spokesperson said, accusing peers of acting irresponsibly by interfering in national security priorities rather than scrutinising legislation.
Treaty row and legal warnings
The bill is currently in the final stages of parliamentary scrutiny, known as ping pong, in which the Commons and Lords exchange amendments. Conservatives argue that pushing it through now risks breaching a 1966 UK US treaty governing the islands, which states that the territory “shall remain under UK sovereignty”.
They are urging ministers to reach explicit agreement with Washington on updating that treaty before the legislation returns to the Lords. Under the proposed deal, Mauritius would gain sovereignty over the islands while the UK and US continue operating the Diego Garcia base for an initial 99 year period, with a 24 mile buffer zone preventing construction without UK consent.
Sir Keir has said the agreement carries a net cost of £3.4bn after inflation adjustments and warned that failure to act could expose the base to legal jeopardy. “If we did not agree this deal,” he said last year, “we would not be able to prevent China or any other nation setting up their own bases on the outer islands or carrying out joint exercises near our base.”
Trump’s reversal sharpens pressure
The pause comes as Donald Trump appeared to reverse his earlier acceptance of the deal. This week, he branded the handover plan “a great act of stupidity”, despite his administration having previously signalled support.
Before the agreement was signed, London offered Trump an effective veto because of US security interests. During a meeting with Starmer in the Oval Office last February, Trump said he was inclined to go along with the UK’s approach. After the deal was finalised, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington welcomed the agreement, describing Diego Garcia as a “critical asset for regional and global security”.
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Ministers have played down suggestions that Trump’s comments represent a definitive shift, arguing instead that the president is using the issue to apply pressure in wider disputes, including over Greenland.
Political fallout at home
Opposition figures say the delay exposes deep flaws in the government’s case. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the agreement “cannot progress while this issue remains unsolved” and accused Starmer of hiding behind international law. Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel went further, arguing that handing over British territory while committing billions of pounds could clash with existing treaty obligations.
Relations between Starmer and Trump have visibly cooled this week, following clashes over Greenland and Trump’s remarks about Nato allies’ roles in Afghanistan, comments that Starmer called insulting and appalling.
For now, ministers insist the Chagos deal complies fully with international law and remains essential to safeguarding the future of Diego Garcia. But with Lords scrutiny delayed and Washington sending mixed signals, the government faces a renewed battle to convince critics that its most sensitive foreign policy agreement can still be delivered intact.
