But the deal over the islands — sometimes dubbed Britain’s last African colony — has been complicated by a fresh election in Mauritius. Pravind Jugnauth — the prime minister who agreed the deal — lost in a landslide defeat.
His successor, Navin Ramgoolam, said Tuesday that his government is concerned with the deal agreed — and said he had submitted counterproposals to the U.K.
“During the discussions, Mauritius made clear that while it is still willing to conclude an agreement with the United Kingdom, the draft agreement which was shown to us after the general elections is one which, in our view, would not produce the benefits that the nation could expect from such an agreement,” Ramgoolam told lawmakers.
‘Not dead’
It’s prompted fresh questions to the British government. Speaking in the House of Commons Wednesday, Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty insisted London still has faith in the deal.
“It’s now completely understandable that the new Mauritian government will want time to study the details,” Doughty said. “However, I am confident that we have agreed a good and fair deal that is in both sides’ interests.”
A British government official, granted anonymity to discuss the agreement frankly, said the “deal is not dead.”
