Fears deal violates treaty

SIR Keir Starmer faced fresh humiliation over his Chagos Islands “surrender” last night after he was forced to withdraw the bill.

- BY MARTYN BROWN Political Editor

The legislation was expected to be debated in the House of Lords on Monday but has been delayed over fears that it would violate a 60-year-old treaty with the US enshrining British sovereignty over the Indian Ocean territory.

It comes just days after Donald Trump blasted the government's plan to hand over the islands to Mauritius as an “act of great stupidity”.

Weakness

The US president raged on social media that “there is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness” in the Chagos Islands.