United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer decided to withdraw the bill on handing over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after receiving criticism from United States President Donald Trump over the plan, the Telegraph reported on Friday. According to the outlet, UK Conservatives warned the bill could violate a 1966 treaty with the US.
Last year, Starmer announced that London had signed an agreement on the handover, claiming the move was in the "British national interest" and that not doing so would jeopardize the operation of the joint UK-US military base in one of the islands, Diego Garcia.
The bill on the matter was set to be discussed in the House of Lords on Monday, but the debate was delayed after Trump called the planned transfer an act of "weakness" and "total stupidity." The UK's initial reaction after Washington's criticism was that it will never compromise on its national security, while Starmer said that Trump earlier supported the plan.
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