Overview
- President Donald Trump publicly reversed earlier support, calling the UK’s plan a show of “total weakness” and citing it in his push to acquire Greenland.
- Under the May 2025 treaty, Mauritius gains sovereignty over the Chagos Islands while the UK leases Diego Garcia for 99 years, with provisions barring other powers’ use without UK agreement and allowing Chagossian resettlement on islands other than Diego Garcia.
- The UK government says legal rulings undermined its position and threatened base operations, arguing the deal safeguards the joint US‑UK facility for generations.
- The agreement remains unratified in the UK, with MPs having approved enabling legislation that peers rewrote; the House of Commons is considering Lords’ changes on Tuesday.
- Reported costs include annual payments of roughly £101–£120 million with total estimates varying, and the plan creates a fund for displaced Chagossians, though details and consultation remain contested.