British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has abandoned the agreement on the Chagos Islands due to deteriorating relations with Donald Trump, after the United States did not formally confirm its approval.
Downing Street announced. “We continue to believe that this agreement is the best way to protect the long-term future of the (Anglo-American) military base at Diego Garcia, but we have always said we would only move forward with US support,” a Starmer spokesman said, adding that discussions with the US were ongoing. The restitution bill was due to expire in parliament.
Trump had urged Starmer to cancel the agreement, despite having previously expressed his support for the treaty.
In January, the US president had called the restitution plan an ‘act of utter weakness’. British government officials, the BBC explains, said they did not want to completely abandon the agreement – which would transfer the sovereignty of the British territory to Mauritius – but that they ran out of time to pass the law before Parliament was dissolved in the coming weeks.
However, a new bill on the Chagos is not expected to be presented in the King’s Speech in mid-May. Apparently, the British broadcaster adds, the UK has not yet received a formal exchange of letters from the US, a legal requirement for the treaty to enter into force. The islands host the important Anglo-American military base of Diego Garcia.
LittleSchwein1234 on
Good, one of the few good things Trump has done. Giving up Diego Garcia would’ve been a catastrophic mistake, and paying for losing territory based on a ridiculous court ruling breaking all precedents and principles of sovereignty, doubly so.
Let the Chagossians return to the other islands, issue an Order in Council to give them self governance and keep the islands.
LookOverall on
We should give the place back to the descendants of the islanders and let _them_ negotiate with the Americans.
DiaBall on
The Felon can’t give anything I writing because that’s written proof and he wouldn’t be able to back out.
tree_boom on
This is one of those weird things that’s deeply misunderstood. The UK gives not one single shit about the Chagos islands nor Diego Garcia. We get no direct benefit from the place whatever. It’s value to us lies exclusively in the fact that we trade the lease for access to strategic missiles systems – it is part of the package which allowed us to acquire Trident on such ridiculously favourable terms.
With the lease up for renewal soon and Trident due out of service in 2042, the decision to make this deal was predicated on the belief that there was a danger of our ability to trade access to the base to the Americans in future negotiations being reduced to the extent that we’d end up paying more money for the strategic missiles we want. In the worst potential case of the US simply negotiating with Mauritius instead we’d be paying vastly more money. That’s the sole reason the UK was willing to pay Mauritius for this deal; it’s a cost limitation exercise.
What will happen now? Who fucking knows. The US has always preferred that the UK retain sovereignty, but Trump seems to really value it. It might be that we can offer to sell the place **to the US instead** in return for something suitable more valuable than previous arrangements.
EDIT: or maybe be hilarious and try to sell it back to the original owners – France – in exchange for SLBMs 😀
NothingPersonalKid00 on
Probably the only good thing Trump has done.
Upstairs-Mall-3695 on
I think UK wisely pauses return of Chagos Islands after lack of US support, giving up a key military base in the Indian Ocean right now would be insane. Real politicsis slowly coming back!
conrat4567 on
Good, now allow the Chagosians to move back, let them become a sovereign territory like they wanted, and let them work on the island on the base instead of importing workers.
zephyy on
Mauritius’s claim on Chagos is kind of weak anyway, I get that the British deported a bunch in the 60s to Mauritius but they also moved them to Britain and other places.
Both of these places were uninhabited until the 1500-1600s.
DiMezenburg on
return? other side never owned them
Jacabusmagnus on
Its the right decision the fact they had to come to that the realisation in the way they did is troubling.
11 commenti
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has abandoned the agreement on the Chagos Islands due to deteriorating relations with Donald Trump, after the United States did not formally confirm its approval.
Downing Street announced. “We continue to believe that this agreement is the best way to protect the long-term future of the (Anglo-American) military base at Diego Garcia, but we have always said we would only move forward with US support,” a Starmer spokesman said, adding that discussions with the US were ongoing. The restitution bill was due to expire in parliament.
Trump had urged Starmer to cancel the agreement, despite having previously expressed his support for the treaty.
In January, the US president had called the restitution plan an ‘act of utter weakness’. British government officials, the BBC explains, said they did not want to completely abandon the agreement – which would transfer the sovereignty of the British territory to Mauritius – but that they ran out of time to pass the law before Parliament was dissolved in the coming weeks.
However, a new bill on the Chagos is not expected to be presented in the King’s Speech in mid-May. Apparently, the British broadcaster adds, the UK has not yet received a formal exchange of letters from the US, a legal requirement for the treaty to enter into force. The islands host the important Anglo-American military base of Diego Garcia.
Good, one of the few good things Trump has done. Giving up Diego Garcia would’ve been a catastrophic mistake, and paying for losing territory based on a ridiculous court ruling breaking all precedents and principles of sovereignty, doubly so.
Let the Chagossians return to the other islands, issue an Order in Council to give them self governance and keep the islands.
We should give the place back to the descendants of the islanders and let _them_ negotiate with the Americans.
The Felon can’t give anything I writing because that’s written proof and he wouldn’t be able to back out.
This is one of those weird things that’s deeply misunderstood. The UK gives not one single shit about the Chagos islands nor Diego Garcia. We get no direct benefit from the place whatever. It’s value to us lies exclusively in the fact that we trade the lease for access to strategic missiles systems – it is part of the package which allowed us to acquire Trident on such ridiculously favourable terms.
With the lease up for renewal soon and Trident due out of service in 2042, the decision to make this deal was predicated on the belief that there was a danger of our ability to trade access to the base to the Americans in future negotiations being reduced to the extent that we’d end up paying more money for the strategic missiles we want. In the worst potential case of the US simply negotiating with Mauritius instead we’d be paying vastly more money. That’s the sole reason the UK was willing to pay Mauritius for this deal; it’s a cost limitation exercise.
What will happen now? Who fucking knows. The US has always preferred that the UK retain sovereignty, but Trump seems to really value it. It might be that we can offer to sell the place **to the US instead** in return for something suitable more valuable than previous arrangements.
EDIT: or maybe be hilarious and try to sell it back to the original owners – France – in exchange for SLBMs 😀
Probably the only good thing Trump has done.
I think UK wisely pauses return of Chagos Islands after lack of US support, giving up a key military base in the Indian Ocean right now would be insane. Real politicsis slowly coming back!
Good, now allow the Chagosians to move back, let them become a sovereign territory like they wanted, and let them work on the island on the base instead of importing workers.
Mauritius’s claim on Chagos is kind of weak anyway, I get that the British deported a bunch in the 60s to Mauritius but they also moved them to Britain and other places.
Both of these places were uninhabited until the 1500-1600s.
return? other side never owned them
Its the right decision the fact they had to come to that the realisation in the way they did is troubling.