Pushed further on whether any money for the Chagos deal forms part of the defence spending increase, Mr Healey added: “There is no spending on the Chagos Islands unless and until a deal is in place.
Defence Secretary John Healey has declined to say whether the increase in defence spending includes funding being used for the Chagos Islands deal.
On Tuesday a Conservative former defence minister suggested that money earmarked for the Chagos deal could instead be spent on the armed forces.
Asked on Times Radio if the agreement being negotiated with Mauritius was being accounted for in the funding increase, John Healey said: “This is about our defence spending.
A Mauritian government statement said leader Navin Ramgoolam had used a speech to affirm that the country had “shown openness and willingness to find common ground by accepting the presence of a representative from the new administration in the United States of America in the negotiations so as to further strengthen the process”.
