Confusion over Chagos Islands deal as Foreign Office denies handover paused'

"We have a process going through parliament in relation to the treaty. We will bring that back to parliament at the appropriate time. We are pausing for discussions with our American counterparts. With the government scrambling to contain the confusion created by Falconer's comments, sources in the Foreign Office said he had misspoke."

"In a bombshell intervention, the US president said Keir Starmer was making a big mistake by handing sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius in exchange for the UK and US being allowed to continue using their airbase on one of the islands, Diego Garcia."

"I am in Washington lobbying senior administration figures on this issue and I am pleased the UK government has been forced to pause the legislation. But ministers must go further: now it is time for Keir Starmer to face reality and kill this shameful surrender once and for all before it does any more damage."

The UK government reaffirmed its commitment to handing over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, clarifying confusion created when Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer told Parliament the deal was paused for discussions with American counterparts. The government later stated there was no pause and timings would be announced through normal channels. The plan faces significant opposition from UK opposition parties and US President Donald Trump, who called it a mistake. Trump's intervention contradicts previous US government policy supporting the agreement. Opposition figures, including Reform UK's Nigel Farage and shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel, have criticized the deal as a betrayal, with Patel calling for the government to abandon the plan entirely.

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