Sir Keir Starmer has withdrawn his Chagos Islands bill in the face of backlash over the deal from the US, according to reports.
The legislation, which was set to be debated in the House of Lords on Monday, has now been delayed over warnings it could breach a treaty with the US that asserts the UK’s sovereignty over the archipelago, The Telegraph reports.
The government has subsequently accused peers of interfering with Britain’s national security in what it described as “irresponsible and reckless behaviour”.
The delay follows Donald Trump’s U-turn on the agreement earlier this week. Just months after endorsing Britain’s plan to hand the Indian Ocean territory to Mauritius, the US president criticised the move in a post on his Truth Social platform, calling it “an act of great stupidity”. It comes as relations between Mr Trump and Sir Keir have dramatically soured this week.
In the wake of Mr Trump’s criticism, the government suffered a small rebellion in the Commons over the deal, as legislation to finalise the agreement is caught in a wrangle between the upper and lower chambers.
The legislation is intended to provide a firm legal basis for the operation of the strategically important Diego Garcia Military Base, which has been used by UK and US forces since it was built on the islands in the 1970s. Ministers have claimed the deal is necessary because international court rulings in favour of Mauritian claims to sovereignty had threatened the future of the facility.
The proposed deal would lead Britain to give up the territory and lease back the base – a move the Conservatives have suggested would break a UK-US treaty signed in 1966, which enshrines the UK’s sovereignty over the archipelago, according to The Telegraph.
With promised updates to the 1966 agreement yet to materialise, the Tories tabled a motion in the Lords on Friday morning, demanding a delay in the treaty’s ratification for fear of otherwise breaking international law.
The Telegraph reported that legislation underpinning the deal that was set to go back to the upper chamber for further scrutiny on Monday will no longer be returning there.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch told the newspaper that the deal could “not progress while this issue remains unsolved”.
She added: “Throughout the Chagos debates, Keir Starmer has tried to hide behind the cover of international law, now the Conservatives are exposing that his shameful surrender may be illegal.”
Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said: “He is happy to hand over British sovereign territory and £35bn of taxpayers’ money to an ally of China – even if it conflicts with international law.
“As a lawyer he should know better. But his desire to appease Beijing clouds his judgement, as we saw with his decision to approve the Chinese spy hub super embassy this week.”
A government spokesperson told The Independent: “The government remains fully committed to the deal to secure the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia, which is vital for our national security.
“This is irresponsible and reckless behaviour by peers, whose roles is to check legislation, not interfere with our national security priorities.”