Sir Keir Starmer has been forced into a dramatic U-turn over his Chagos Islands bill following furious backlash from Donald Trump over the deal.
US President Donald Trump said the UK's Chagos Islands deal, to hand sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius, would be "an act of GREAT STUPIDITY" on his platform, Truth Social.
The legislation was set to be debated in the House of Lords on Monday, but it has been delayed on Friday after the Tories sent a warning that it could violate a treaty with the US, which enshrines British sovereignty over the islands.
Trump's outburst came months after his administration had expressed support for the bill, with -Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling it a "monumental achievement" in May.
Sir Keir's deal would have seen the UK hand back sovereignty of the archipelago and lease back the Diego Garcia military base, which has been used by UK and US forces since it was built in the 1970s.
Mauritius’ attorney general responded to Trump after his comments, saying his country's sovereignty of the Chagos Islands "should no longer be subject to debate”.
Kemi Badenoch sided with the US President and called the deal "terrible policy".
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