Chagos Islands treaty is now 'impossible to agree at political level', UK minister says
Source: The Guardian
Chagos Islands treaty is now ‘impossible to agree at political level’, UK minister says
Stephen Doughty says US withdrawal of support means bill cannot complete passage through parliament
Olivia Lee
Mon 13 Apr 2026 20.58 BST
Last modified on Mon 13 Apr 2026 20.59 BST
A treaty over ceding sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has become “impossible to agree at political level” and the corresponding bill will not complete its passage through parliament, a Foreign Office minister has said.
Stephen Doughty told the Commons that the agreement with Mauritius was initially negotiated in close coordination with the US, but Donald Trump’s position “appears to have changed”.
The UK government was forced to shelve its legislation to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after the US dropped its support for the agreement.
As part of the deal, the UK was to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, and lease the island of Diego Garcia, which is the site of a joint UK-US military base, for 99 years to continue operations.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/13/chagos-islands-treaty-mauritius-uk-bill-parliament