UK reviews deal to hand over Chagos Islands to Mauritius

The UK government is reviewing its deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, the BBC reported on September 23. The agreement, negotiated under the previous Labour government, included a 101 million pound annual payment for the UK and US to lease back the Diego Garcia military base.

US pressure and strategic concerns

US President Donald Trump had called the deal terrible, and there have been concerns in Washington about the strategic implications of ceding sovereignty over an island that hosts one of the most important US-UK military installations in the Indian Ocean. The review reflects tensions between the UK's international law commitments regarding decolonization and strategic military considerations shared with the United States.