15 January 2025, 16:02

By Henry Moore

Labour’s deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands has been thrown into doubt after Sir Keir Starmer admitted an agreement would not be reached before Donald Trump enters the White House.

Allies of President-elect Trump have signalled their clear opposition to the deal as British negotiators scramble to find an agreement before his inauguration on Monday.

The Government is negotiating a "long-term lease" to continue operations on the military base.

UK officials were locked in negotiations with their Mauritian counterparts this morning but, despite "good progress" on a revised agreement, it has become clear this afternoon that a deal won’t be reached this week.

Read more - LBC Views: Rushing through the Chagos deal would be an unnecessary mistake

Read more: Mauritius wants £800 million a year and ‘billions of pounds in reparations’ for contentious Chagos Islands........

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