UK and Mauritius to Finalise Future of Chagos Islands

April 2, 2025

The UK government is working with Mauritius to finalise a deal on the future of the Chagos Islands. Under the proposed agreement, Mauritius would gain sovereignty of the islands from the UK, but allow the US and UK to continue operating a military base on one of the islands for an initial period of 99 years, at a cost to the British taxpayer.

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UK government sources have indicated they are not waiting for further sign-off from Donald Trump. Earlier this year, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the deal would not go ahead if the US president had objections.

The UK government is working with Mauritius to finalise a deal on the future of the Chagos Islands. Under the proposed agreement, Mauritius would gain sovereignty of the islands from the UK, but allow the US and UK to continue operating a military base on one of the islands for an initial period of 99 years, at a cost to the British taxpayer.

In a statement, the Mauritian government reiterated Downing Street’s comments, saying that both countries were currently working to finalise this agreement. The plan to hand over control of the Chagos Islands, officially known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, was announced last October following negotiations with then-Mauritian leader Pravind Jugnauth.

However, following the elections, he was replaced by current PM Navin Ramgoolam, who expressed concerns about the deal. Progress on reaching an agreement was also delayed after the election of Trump because negotiators wanted to give the new US administration time to examine the details of the plan.