MAURITIUS’s new Prime Minister has demanded a review of the Chagos Islands deal in a bitter blow to Sir Keir Starmer.
Navin Ramgoolam, who recently won a significant victory in the election, has stated that his cabinet will review the agreement before determining the next course of action.
He told the Mauritian Parliament the details of the deal were “unknown to the new government” throughout the two years of negotiations.
Sir Keir expressed his belief that the agreement, which grants Mauritius control over the islands but maintains the UK-US military presence on Diego Garcia, will be approved in the near future.
However, Ramgoolam’s choice to initiate a review has created uncertainty regarding the deal, as officials in Mauritius have raised worries about the financial aspects and sovereignty terms involved.
To complicate things, US President Biden supported the deal when it was announced last month but the incoming Trump administration has already expressed reservations.
Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick as secretary of state, has suggested that the deal would “provide an opportunity for communist China to gain valuable intelligence on our naval support facility”.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who is close to Trump, also claimed the new US administration would greet Sir Keir’s deal with “outright hostility”.
