Mauritius ‘in no rush’ to secure Chagos deal with UK despite looming Trump presidency

Mauritius is in “no rush” to secure a Chagos Islands deal with the UK and is still pushing for more money, officials have told The Telegraph.

The Indian Ocean country has reportedly been offered £9 billion over 99 years by the UK for the continued use of a major US-UK airbase on Diego Garcia, but the Mauritian government is demanding significantly more.

Fears are growing in Government that the deal could collapse, with the incoming presidency of Donald Trump, who is openly against Britain handing over territory to a country with increasingly close ties to China, adding an additional complication.

A Mauritius official close to the Chagos issue said the lease money offered by the UK was “insufficient” and the wording of the Oct 3 agreement on sovereignty was “excessively restrictive”.

“We want to iron out the differences on sovereignty, lease terms and finances before signing the deal. There is no rush from our side and until our terms are met, there will be no deal,” they told The Telegraph.

Navin Ramgoolam, the prime minister, and his government are seeking to renegotiate three key aspects of the Oct 3 agreement.

They say that the 99-year lease of the Diego Garcia is too long, the clause that allows the UK “to exercise the sovereignty of Mauritius” is perceived as too restrictive, and they want “fair and equitable compensation” for the continued use of Diego Garcia.

The deal on the table would give Mauritius almost £91 million a year throughout the 99-year lease.

Mr Ramgoolam, however, has reportedly demanded £800 million a year for as long as Britain wants to keep hold of the base, along with billions of pounds in reparations.

“The lease amount should be revised upwards given it’s largely insufficient (for the use of Diego Garcia). We have proposed “frontloading” the annual rent, which involves paying a larger sum during the first years of the lease and a reduced amount thereafter,” he said.

There is growing speculation that the agreement will be scuppered by Mr Trump when he takes office on Jan 20. Sir Keir Starmer is said to be keen to sign off the legal text of the treaty and enforce it before the inauguration.

The proposed pact, one of Sir Keir’s first major foreign policy decisions, would see Britain giving the islands to Mauritius, while securing the long-term lease for the air base on Diego Garcia.

Many in Mauritius worry that Mr Trump’s presidency could derail the deal, potentially costing the country hundreds of millions of dollars.

“It’s no secret that the Labour Government and Trump’s camp don’t get along, with people like Elon Musk openly criticising Sir Keir Starmer,” said Nowsheen Lall, a university scholar.

“The Mauritian government is leveraging this tension to buy time and negotiate a more favourable financial settlement.The ultimate goal is to secure the agreement before any significant geopolitical shifts occur once Trump takes office.”

Meanwhile, Admiral Lord West of Spithead, the former Royal Navy chief, has urged Sir Keir to abandon his “irresponsible” deal to hand the Chagos to Mauritius.

And Mr Trump and his team have expressed concerns that the agreement benefits China.

Marco Rubio, his choice as secretary of state, told Politico that the handover of the Chagos “would provide an opportunity for communist China to gain valuable intelligence on our naval support facility in Mauritius”.

“This poses a serious threat to our national security interests in the Indian Ocean and threatens critical US military posture in the region,” he said.

In recent years, China has increased its presence in the region, including establishing a military base in Djibouti in 2017 and signing a free trade agreement with Mauritius in 2021.

Diego Garcia has served as a strategic military asset for the UK and the United States, including as a staging point for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq after 9/11.