The third person added: “It’s not just a question of personnel — it is a question of the structures of the organization. We don’t yet have a clear architecture in place to be able to go through that process and get it re-ratified.”
Then there is the fact that Trump and Rubio — barely into their third week in the new administration — have bigger political issues on their plate. Asked about the Chagos deal on Jan. 25, Trump replied: “It hasn’t been number one on my list, I’ll be honest with you.”
The third person quoted above suggested that incoming U.K. Ambassador to the U.S., former Labour grandee Peter Mandelson, could take on the issue after his arrival in Washington this week. But they added: “The Trump team will be aware that it will be a potential point of leverage — they’re aware that it’s become a political issue for the Starmer government.”
The £9 billion question
Britain’s Labour government announced in October that it would hand sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius. While never setting a date publicly, U.K. officials had initially made efforts to conclude the deal before Trump’s inauguration.
But Mauritius has also complicated the process. Ramgoolam ousted his predecessor in an election weeks after the initial deal was announced, and almost immediately began pushing for more favorable terms.
Britain has since agreed to frontload more of the total sum — widely reported (and not disputed) to be around £9 billion — towards the beginning of the 99-year lease. A call between Ramgoolam and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer last Friday helped secure Mauritius’ agreement.
