Chagos vote delayed as PM facing defeat

SIR Keir Starmer has been forced to delay a key vote on his £3.4billion ‘Chagos Islands deal after warnings he was set for a humiliating defeat.

- BY JONATHAN WALKER and CHRISTIAN CALGIE

PM plans to lease the Chagos Islands, home to a vital military base.

A House of Lords vote to ratify the treaty with Mauritius has been pulled after a Conservative peer put down an amendment that would have required the Government to consult the island's residents.

Liberal Democrats were also set to vote against the Government, meaning ministers faced potential defeat.

Ministers have now said the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill will be delayed.