Sir Keir Starmer clashed with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch over the deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Prime Minister reportedly discusses future of Diego Garcia military base during ‘cordial’ call with Mauritian leader

Progress on the Chagos deal has slowed since Donald Trump was consulted on it, despite previous efforts to get it signed before he was sworn in in January.

Sir Keir Starmer has come under fire at PMQs after Mauritius said the UK had agreed to change payment terms in its deal to hand it control of the Chagos Islands. It comes after Mauritian PM Navin Ramgoolam claimed the UK had now agreed to front-load the payments and change how they are calculated.

The UK government said it wouldn’t provide any details on a proposed multibillion-pound deal to continue operating a military base in the Chagos archipelago once it cedes control of the islands until it’s finalized,

There are signs of unease within the Government about the plan to hand over the British Indian Ocean Territory.

The UK government has denied claims made by the prime minister of Mauritius that it faces paying billions 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 would maintain a 99-year lease over the UK-US military airbase on the largest island,