January 2026: TRUMP PRESIDENCY UK delays Chagos Islands debate after Trump pressure

 UK delays Chagos Islands debate after Trump pressure

"The British government has indefinitely postponed debate on a bill enshrining into law the UK’s cession of the Chagos archipelago in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius, local media has reported.

The move comes after US President Donald Trump called the UK’s decision an act of “great stupidity” and “total weakness,” accusing it of giving away “extremely important land” that hosts a “vital US military base.”

Labour government decided that the Chagos Islands agreement would not be debated in the House of Lords on Monday as planned. The upper house will take up the issue at an unspecified later date, BBC reported.
Earlier in the day, the Conservatives called for a pause, claiming the bill violates a 1996 agreement between Britain and the US, which states that the Indian Ocean territory must remain under UK sovereignty to be available to both countries for security purposes.
According to the Telegraph, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch discussed the Chagos issue with US House speaker Mike Johnson when he visited the British parliament on Monday.
Starmer’s agreement with Mauritius allows the US and UK to retain control of a joint military base on archipelago’s largest island Diego Garcia for an initial period of 99 years at a reported total value of $3.9 billion." 

RT