UK launches review of Chagos Islands agreement after US criticism

Britain’s defence minister, Wes Streeting, announced that the government will re‑examine the settlement on the Chagos Archipelago after the United States expressed dissatisfaction, the BBC reported. Streeting said the review was prompted by comments from former US President Donald Trump, who told Labour mayor Andy Burnham that the arrangement was “terrible”.

The Chagos Islands, a chain of atolls in the Indian Ocean, have been at the centre of a long‑running sovereignty dispute. The United Kingdom detached the territory from Mauritius in 1965 to create a British Indian Ocean Territory, subsequently leasing the largest atoll, Diego Garcia, to the United States for a military base. Mauritius has repeatedly challenged the annexation, and in 2019 an International Court of Justice advisory opinion declared the UK’s continued administration illegal. The UK, however, has maintained its claim, citing strategic security interests.

The current agreement, negotiated in 2024, aims to resolve the dispute by offering Mauritius a financial package and a role in the future administration of the islands, while preserving the US‑run defence facility on Diego Garcia. Critics in both the UK and abroad argue that the deal does not fully address the rights of the Chagossian people displaced in the 1970s, nor does it satisfy Mauritian demands for full sovereignty.

Streeting’s decision to launch a review underscores the delicate balance between maintaining a key US‑UK security partnership and adhering to international legal rulings. The United States, which relies on Diego Garcia for operations across the Middle East and Indian Ocean, has signalled that any perceived erosion of its strategic foothold could affect broader defence cooperation.

Analysts note that a review could lead to renegotiations of the financial terms, a clearer timetable for the return of displaced Chagossians, or even a shift in the legal status of the territory. The outcome will likely influence Britain’s diplomatic relations with Mauritius, its standing in international courts, and the future of the US‑UK defence alliance.

The government has not set a deadline for the review, but Streeting indicated that a report will be presented to the Cabinet within the next few months. Stakeholders, including the Chagossian diaspora, Mauritian officials, and defence experts, are expected to submit their positions during the consultation phase.