With Trump's inauguration imminent, the Chagos deal appears to be on ice
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Once again the fate of a group of islands in the Indian Ocean is focusing minds in Westminster. "There's no point denying it's a mess", a backbench Labour MP tells me, as the latest twist in the Chagos deal unfolds. On a day when we expected the Mauritian government to rubber stamp the plans to take over sovereignty of the archipelago from the UK, any agreement appears to be on ice.
The prime minister's spokesperson said it is "perfectly reasonable for the US administration to consider the detail". Translation: the deal could not get over the line before Donald Trump's inauguration and its future might now be in the balance. Politics latest: Starmer backs Reeves as pound rises back up.
Could Mr Trump see the Chagos agreement unravel?. While Joe Biden was supportive of the deal, those close to Mr Trump suggest he may not feel the same. But it's not clear how far his own views would take him. The agreement for the UK to hand over the islands - but maintain a 99-year lease for Diego Garcia military base - was first announced in October, but weeks later the new Mauritian prime minister said he had reservations about the agreement.
Follow our channel and never miss an update. Since then every twist and turn has sparked political debate here. "Why does the PM think the British people should pay to surrender something that is already ours?" Kemi Badenoch shot across the despatch box today.
