Tories urge Keir Starmer to explain shelving of Chagos deal in Parliament

Sir Keir Starmer is facing calls to explain the shelving of the deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in Parliament.

A Bill to cede sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago is not expected to feature in May’s King’s Speech, which sets the agenda for the next parliamentary session, in the face of US opposition.

The £35 billion deal which includes a plan to lease back the UK-US military base on the largest island, Diego Garcia, has been criticised by US president Donald Trump.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the Prime Minister should appear before MPs on Monday to “make clear” that the “deal is dead”.

She said: “The Iran war has highlighted the importance of Diego Garcia, but also how exposed the Government has left us when it comes to energy security and national security.

“At a time when our base is even more important than ever, given the conflict in the Middle East, we should not be giving up this crucial territory.

“So let’s end the uncertainty and make clear the deal is off.

“Keir Starmer needs to come clean and tell Parliament tomorrow that the Chagos surrender deal isn’t just on pause, it’s dead in the water.”

The Government signed a treaty last May to return sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius, following long-running negotiations started under the previous Tory administration after a 2019 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice said the UK should cede control to Mauritius.

The US initially agreed to the arrangement, but Mr Trump subsequently branded the deal a “big mistake” as his relationship with Sir Keir deteriorated over their conflicting views on Greenland and the Iran war.

Legislation enabling the handover has not appeared before Parliament since January 20, despite being in its final stages.

The UK has still not had a formal exchange of notes from Washington – a technical step but a legal necessity for the treaty to be enacted, it is understood, and time has run out to pass legislation before Parliament is dissolved in the coming weeks.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting earlier denied the deal was dead.

He told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme: “It is fair to say there has been a shift in position in Washington.

“We’ve been clear throughout that the objective is to make sure we secure the Chagos Islands for the long term in British and American interests.

“I think there are lots of people in the US administration who understand what we’re trying to achieve, who support that objective.

“We’re working with the Americans to try and resolve that because we’ve been clear that we wouldn’t act without the Americans, because this also concerns their interests as well.”

Mr Streeting accused the Conservatives of “extraordinary hypocrisy” as they had also been “negotiating the Chagos deal”.

“They understood when they were in government the importance of this and swiftly change their tune on the other side,” he said.