Britain will await Donald Trump’s blessing before finalising a deal with Mauritius over the future of a strategic UK-US military base in the Indian Ocean, according to people familiar with the talks.
The UK government had in recent weeks been optimistic about securing an agreement with Mauritius over the Chagos Islands before the president-elect is sworn into office on January 20.
On Sunday, British officials said “good progress” had been made in the negotiations after London offered to frontload a tranche of payments to Port Louis for the proposed 99-year lease of Diego Garcia, the largest atoll in the archipelago and home to the crucial defence base.