General · 23 September 2026
UK puts Chagos Islands payments on hold after Trump blocks deal
Defence secretary Wes Streeting confirmed that annual payments worth at least £120m to Mauritius are frozen as ministers rethink the agreement. Donald Trump criticized the handover of sovereignty to Mauritius during a meeting with Andy Burnham at the United Nations general assembly on Tuesday. Streeting stated that the current plan cannot proceed without American backing because of security concerns regarding the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.
Reported by The Guardian · How we write briefs