The Chagos Islands deal will not go ahead without the backing of US President Donald Trump, David Lammy has said.
The Foreign Secretary said he still believed the agreement to cede the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius was the “best deal” which could be struck, but that the US had to be on board with it.
Asked by ITV’s Peston programme if the US leader had a veto on the agreement, Lammy replied: “If President Trump doesn’t like the deal, the deal will not go forward.
“The reason for that is because we have a shared military and intelligence interest with the United States, and of course they’ve got to be happy with the deal, or there is no deal.”
His comments came ahead of the first face-to-face meeting between Sir Keir Starmer and Trump in Washington as he seeks to keep the US on side with the West.
It also comes after Starmer faced questions about whether cash to pay Mauritius for leasing back a military base, rumoured to cost £9bn, would come out of the increase in defence spending he announced.
Under the proposed deal, Britain would lease back the strategically important Diego Garcia military base which is also used by the US.
Speaking from the US, Lammy said the UK’s military and intelligence was “very intertwined with the United States”, adding: “We struck a deal. After striking that deal, there was a change of government in Mauritius, and the new government in Mauritius had to have time to look at the deal.
“And there has been a change of government here in the United States, and the United States administration have had time to look at the deal. I still believe it’s the best deal.”
Former Tory minister Simon Clarke told ITV’s Peston he “reluctantly hoped” Trump would reject the proposal, calling it a “wretched deal”.
“It is absolutely crazy that… we should be contemplating giving money to a Chinese ally to give away our own territory, that is madness,” he said.
In the Commons on Wednesday, Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch asked Starmer to confirm whether the Chagos deal would be paid out of his planned defence increase to 2.5 per cent of GDP.
The Prime Minister replied: “The additional spend I announced yesterday is for our capability on defence and security in Europe, as I made absolutely clear yesterday.
“The Chagos deal is extremely important for our security, for US security. The US are rightly looking at it. When it’s finalised I’ll put it before the House with the costings.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Defence Secretary John Healey did not say whether the Chagos money was included when asked by Times Radio.
Speaking after Prime Minister’s Questions, a spokesman for Badenoch said: “I think this all points to what amounts to really a cover-up of where this money for the Chagos surrender is coming from.
He also indicated that the US President should block the deal if it is a bad deal.
Earlier in the Commons, the Conservatives failed in a bid to secure greater transparency over the Chagos negotiations.
The Opposition tabled a motion asking the Government to release a chronology of the negotiations between the UK and Mauritius since 4 July last year, and to confirm the accuracy of recent updates made by the Mauritius prime minister on the terms of the deal.
It also asked ministers to explain how the deal will be funded, the involvement of Attorney General Lord Hermer and details on why the Government sought to accelerate negotiations.
MPs voted 298 to 147, majority 151, to reject the motion.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel said: “The Government has covered up the true facts of this deal, a deal we would never have done, from the get-go.
“Tonight, the Conservatives gave Labour MPs the chance to scrap the deal and stop the cash and yet they chose to surrender.”
Additional reporting by the Press Association
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