Officials deny pause in Diego Garcia legislation despite Trump criticism

A Foreign Office minister “misspoke” when he said the UK was “pausing” legislation to hand over the Chagos Islands following criticism of the deal from Donald Trump.

The £35 billion deal, which includes a plan to lease back the UK-US Diego Garcia military base, has been heavily criticised by Mr Trump.

Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer said the US had backed the deal but that there had been a “very significant” statement from the American president since then.

Mr Trump has described the deal as a “big mistake” and urged Sir Keir Starmer: “Do not give away Diego Garcia.”

The legislation going through Parliament will ratify a treaty to hand over the Chagos Islands – the British Indian Ocean Territory – to Mauritius.

The Government has argued the deal is necessary to guarantee the future of the Diego Garcia base after an advisory International Court of Justice ruling in 2019 backed Mauritian claims to sovereignty over the islands.

Under the plan, the UK will pay £34.7 billion in nominal terms over 99 years to secure use of the base.

But the agreement has faced significant criticism in both Westminster and the White House.

Mr Falconer told MPs:  “There was support from the US administration for this treaty, which has not changed.

“There clearly has been a statement from the president of the United States more recently, which is very significant.”

He said the Government was “now discussing those concerns with the United States directly”.

Mr Falconer told the Commons: “We will we have a process going through Parliament in relation to the treaty.

“We will bring that back to Parliament at the appropriate time. We are pausing for discussions with our American counterparts.”

But a senior Government source told the Press Association that Mr Falconer “misspoke”.

The UK has acknowledged it will not proceed with the deal over the strategically vital base unless it has the support of the US.

A Government spokesman said: “There is no pause.

“We have never set a deadline. Timings will be announced in the usual way.

“We are continuing discussions with the US, and we have been clear we will not proceed without their support.”

Although officials denied the deal has been paused, the legislation has not been debated in either the Commons or the Lords since January 20, even though it is in its final stages.

Last week, Mr Trump described the Chagos Islands deal as “tenuous” and “no good”, just a day after the US state department said it had supported the agreement to hand over the archipelago.

Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel, who was in Washington on Wednesday, said she had been lobbying senior figures in the US administration on the issue.

“Now it is time for Keir Starmer to face reality and kill this shameful surrender once and for all before it does any more damage,” she said.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said it was time to “chuck the Chagos surrender”.

“Handing over British territory and paying millions a year to lease it back is indefensible,” she said.