The British struck a deal with Mauritius earlier this year, to return the Chagos Islands (which include the Diego Garcia Air Base, used by both the British and the U.S. as a crucial military base in Asia). Mauritius was coerced in 1968 to give up its control over the islands when they were granted independence from the British Empire. Now Starmer, facing the threat that incoming President Donald Trump may intervene to scrap the deal, wants to get it done before the Trump’s Jan. 20, 2025 inauguration.
Starmer is also facing opposition from a newly elected government in Mauritius. He has sent emissaries to both Mauritius and to Washington to convince both to go along. The Biden Administration had already agreed. The Mauritius government complained that the U.S. and the U.K. would be allowed to continue using the Diego Garcia base for 99 years.
