Labour has told Donald Trump he cannot purchase the Chagos Islands to stop the “surrender” deal from being forced through.
Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer insisted there was no option by which the US could buy the Indian Ocean territory from Britain.
He told The Sun: “I can’t see an option where the President buys the island.
“We’re committed to the deal that we have struck.
“It is one that we’ve done in close confrontation with our allies.”
The Labour minister insisted the agreement was not an attempt to “satisfy human rights lawyers”, but to “make sure a joint base that is really important to us continues to operate in the same effective way that is has so far”.
He added: “You have my word, it is not an anxiety about human rights lawyers that is driving the actions of this British Government.”
There were suggestions the President could offer to purchase the Chagos Islands under he similar deal he proposed for the US to acquire Greenland from Denmark.
Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer said there was no option which would see the US buy the islands
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Mr Trump withdrew his support for Britain’s “surrender” deal after a row erupted over Sir Keir Starmer’s refusal to allow US forces to use the Diego Garcia base to strike Iran.
The Government cited international law for blocking US access to the Chagos Islands base and RAF Fairford.
Speaking to The Telegraph amid the feud, Mr Trump said Britain’s deal to hand over sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius was a “very woke thing”.
He said: “All of a sudden [Mauritius] was claiming ownership.
THE CHAGOS ISLANDS SURRENDER – READ MORE:
Mr Trump withdrew he support for Britain’s ‘surrender’ deal after a row erupted over Sir Keir Starmer
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GETTY“He should have fought it out and owned it or make him take it, if you want to know the truth. But no, we were very disappointed in Keir.”
The President had initially backed the deal, but unleashed a scathing attack against it in January branding it “an act of great stupidity” from the British Government.
Under the deal, Britain would transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius while leasing back the Diego Garcia base on a 99-year agreement.
However, the UK cannot legally transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius without American consent under a 1966 treaty between the two countries.
Mr Trump said he was ‘very disappointed’ in the Prime Minister
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PAThe deal was thrown into chaos last month when Mr Falconer said Britain was “pausing” the process while holding talks with the US.
The Government later clarified the process had not been paused, but the agreement is still undergoing ratification in the House of Commons.
Mauritius has now threatened legal action over delays to ratifying the deal.
Navin Ramgoolam, the country’s Prime Minister, told a local media outlet his Government was “exploring legal avenues in the Chagos case”.