Skip to contentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.Join todayAlready a member? Log inWill Meakin-Durrant & Sophie WingateWednesday 23 September 2026 10:33 BSTChagos deal needs support of US, says defence secretary Wes StreetingMultimillion-pound annual payments to Mauritius have been paused while the UK government reviews its agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago.Defence secretary Wes Streeting confirmed the deal cannot move forward without American backing following criticism from US president Donald Trump.President Trump described the Chagos treaty as a terrible deal during discussions with prime minister Andy Burnham in New York.The 99-year agreement reached last May committed Britain to annual payments of at least £120 million to maintain a joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.Mr Streeting emphasised that re-evaluating the agreement is necessary to protect long-term national security and secure the future of the Diego Garcia base.In fullUK pauses multimillion-pound payments to Mauritius as Trump blasts ‘terrible’ Chagos dealMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in