Is Starmer's Chagos Islands deal about to implode?

Keir Starmer's deal to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius appears to be under threat after the Indian ocean state's new PM said he had 'reservations' about the agreement.

Navinchandra Ramgoolam, who was elected a fortnight ago, said he wants time to go over the details with lawyers, and expressed surprise that the deal was struck so close to the election.

Speaking to the BBC he did not specify what he disliked, but a key ally has lashed out at the key provision that hands the UK and US a 99-year lease on the Diego Garcia airbase.

It came after Mr Ramgoolam met with Jonathan Powell, the UK envoy behind the agreement to give away the islands, formally known as the British Indian Ocean Territory. 

It prompted a wave of criticism that the strategically located archipelago was being 'surrendered' to a nation with strong links with communist China, albeit under a process that started under the previous Tory government.

The deal also faces an additional hurdle, with Marco Rubio, the secretary of state pick by incoming US president Donald Trump, last month labelling it 'a serious threat' to national security that 'threatens critical US military posture in the region'.

Asked about the reports, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The UK’s position on this remains unchanged, we have always said that we look forward to engaging with the new Mauritian government and that’s exactly what we’re doing in order to progress the deal.

“We are now finalising the details of legal texts, the treaty, and will be coming forward for parliamentary scrutiny as part of the ratification process next year.”

The Labour government made the shock announcement in October that it was going to hand sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago - a British overseas territory for more than 200 years - to China ally Mauritius.

As part of the arrangement, the US-UK military base on Diego Garcia will remain operational for at least 99 years.

But the president of Mauritius who agreed it, Pravind Jugnauth, was ousted in the election.  It has yet to be officially signed.

Opponents of the handover are hopeful that Donald Trump will force Labour to scrap the deal when he returns to the White House, as several key figures in his team have warned that it poses a national security risk to the US.