The Bruges Group
Thank goodness! Starmer pulls Chagos deal after Trump backlash
Starmer pulls Chagos bill after Trump backlash
Plans to hand islands to Mauritius ‘cannot progress’ amid concerns over 1966 treaty between UK and US
Genevieve Holl-Allen
23 January 2026 7:09pm GMT
President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted the Chagos deal with Mauritius is needed for security reasons. Donald Trump has criticised the PM’s plans Credit: Leon Neal/Getty Images
Sir Keir Starmer has been forced to pull his Chagos Islands bill in the wake of a US backlash over the deal.
The legislation was expected to be debated in the House of Lords on Monday, but was delayed on Friday night after the Conservatives warned it could violate a 60-year-old treaty with the US that enshrines British sovereignty over the archipelago.
Donald Trump turned against the Chagos deal earlier this week, saying that Britain’s plan to hand the Indian Ocean territory to Mauritiu