The UK government has denied claims made by the prime minister of Mauritius that it faces paying more under a renegotiated deal over the future of the Chagos Islands. Last October, the UK announced it would hand over sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius but maintain a 99-year lease over the UK-US military airbase on the largest island, Diego Garcia. However, shortly after the deal was struck, Mauritius elected a new prime minister, Navin Ramgoolam, who wanted to reopen negotiations. He told his MPs on Tuesday new conditions had been negotiated meaning the UK’s lease payments would be linked to inflation and frontloaded. But the UK Foreign Office said the figures being quoted were “inaccurate and misleading”.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had said he intended to “push ahead” with the renegotiated deal. Speaking to Mauritian MPs on Tuesday, Ramgoolam railed against the former agreement, saying it was a “sell-out” for Mauritius. He also said the UK would no longer be able to unilaterally act on a clause in the deal where the lease could be extended for 40 years. Progress on the deal had been paused while the UK consulted new US President Donald Trump on the deal.
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