- President Donald Trump has been warned that the Chagos Islands “are not a piece of real estate to be sold off” after reports the White House was considering purchasing the territory.
- Trump apparently considered purchasing the Chagos Islands, a move opposed by the Chagossian government in exile, which asserts the islands are not for sale and advocates for the resettlement of British Chagossians.
- This potential US acquisition emerged amidst Sir Keir Starmer's stalled plan to transfer British sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius, a deal that would involve leasing back the crucial US-UK Diego Garcia military base.
- Democratic Unionist Party peer Lord Peter Weir has tabled a cross-party bill in the House of Lords to implement a “triple lock,” requiring parliamentary legislation, Chagossan government agreement, and a Chagossan referendum before any change in sovereignty.
- Regarding a sale to Trump and the Mauritius deal, Lord Weir added: “I don’t believe that either people or sovereignty can be up for sale. This is British territory not simply a piece of real estate which can simply be sold off or given away.”
IN FULL
