Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 25, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleBritain has paused ratifying a treaty to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius, the BBC reported. The move, affecting the US-UK base on Diego Garcia, heightens political and security scrutiny.
LONDON, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Britain on Wednesday rowed back from saying it had paused ratification of a deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago, which is home to a strategically important U.S.-UK air base.
Earlier a foreign office minister had told parliament that the ratification process had been paused pending talks with the United States, but a spokesperson later said that was not the case.
"There is no pause. We have never set a deadline. Timings will be announced in the usual way," the spokesperson said.
"We are continuing discussions with the U.S., and we have been clear we will not proceed without their support."
Last year British Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed a deal to transfer sovereignty of the Indian Ocean islands to Mauritius, while keeping control of Diego Garcia through a 99-year lease that preserved U.S. operations there.
But Trump last week renewed his criticism of that deal, saying Starmer was making a "big mistake".
The bill to ratify the deal is currently in parliament's upper chamber where a number of objections have been raised and a debate and vote has not yet been scheduled.
(Reporting by William James, Sam Tabahriti, Elizabeth Piper and Sarah Young, editing by Michael Holden)
Britain has paused the ratification of a treaty to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius, according to a BBC report. The step delays final approval of the agreement.
The decision introduces uncertainty around a major Indian Ocean security hub, which can influence defense policy, sterling risk sentiment and broader geopolitical risk pricing.
The base remains central to the agreement. While ratification is paused, officials are reviewing implications to ensure continued US-UK operations and regional security commitments.
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