The Mauritian government has pledged to pursue every available legal and diplomatic avenue to achieve "complete decolonisation" after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration officially shelved a landmark treaty to hand over the Chagos Islands. The sudden reversal, attributed to shifting political winds in Washington and legislative hurdles in Westminster, has reignited a bitter sovereignty dispute over the strategic archipelago.
Mauritian Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful told reporters in Port Louis that his country would spare no effort to reclaim the territory, which the United Nations’ highest court previously ruled was illegally detached from Mauritius during the colonial era. The Mauritian response follows confirmation from British officials that the legislation required to ratify the May 2025 agreement has been put on indefinite hold.
The deal, which would have seen the United Kingdom transfer sovereignty of the islands while securing a 99-year lease for the Diego Garcia military base, faced a collapse in momentum following the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The U.S. leader previously branded the proposed handover an "act of total weakness," sparking fears in London that proceeding without explicit American backing would jeopardise the "special relationship."
Health Secretary Wes Streeting defended the government’s position on Sunday, insisting the agreement is not "moribund" but admitting that the legislative timetable had become untenable. He noted that the bill ran out of time in the current parliamentary session and is unlikely to resurface before the next session begins in May 2026. However, critics argue the delay is a de facto abandonment of the treaty.
The Chagos Islands have remained a point of international contention since the 1960s, when the UK evicted the native population to make way for the joint UK-US airbase. While the now-paused agreement offered a pathway for displaced Chagossians to return to the outer islands, the current impasse leaves their future in a state of diplomatic limbo. Mauritian officials are reportedly seeking an urgent audience with British counterparts on 22 April 2026 to demand clarity on whether the UK intends to honour its prior commitments.