Inside the top secret Chagos Islands and what makes ‘remote paradise’ so mysterious The UK will not sign off on a deal to give up a top secret island to Mauritius until Donald Trump has taken office, Downing Street has said.
The Chagos Islands have been strictly out of bounds since 1973 when the UK and US took it over to use as a military base.
But allies of US president-elect Donald Trump have been critical of the deal because of the implications for the strategically important military base.
‘We will only agree to a deal that is in the UK’s best interests and protects our national security,’ the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.
This includes the tropical ring island of Diego Garcia, which is home to navy ships and long-range bomber aircrafts, and sits on the list of the world’s most remote pieces of land.
