Britain Halts Chagos Islands Sovereignty Deal Amid U.S. Criticism

The British government has paused its plan to transfer the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The decision, criticized by U.S. President Donald Trump, involves maintaining U.S.-British military operations at the Diego Garcia airbase. Britain's Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, seeks Washington's support for the deal to proceed.

In a surprising move, Britain's government announced on Saturday that it has put a halt to its plan to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. This decision, involving the strategically critical U.S.-British military base on Diego Garcia, has drawn sharp criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Times newspaper reported that planned legislation for the sovereignty transfer, which requires U.S. approval, will not appear in the upcoming parliamentary agenda. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's team is currently working to persuade Washington to officially back the controversial deal.

The British government insists that retaining the military base under the deal is crucial for long-term security. However, tensions have risen due to Starmer's stance on U.S. military actions and his refusal to permit the use of British air bases for strikes, further straining the 'special relationship' between the two nations.

(With inputs from agencies.)