The prime minister has pressed Mauritius on the need for the Chagos Islands deal to allow "strong protections" for the UK-US military base there.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Mauritian counterpart Navin Ramgoolam on Friday spoke directly for the first time about the Chagos Islands deal, Starmer's office said.

Deal would prevent a third party gaining influence over territory which hosts key Western military base, says foreign minister

Speculation is rife that U.S. President Donald Trump might block an agreement between Britain and Mauritius to resolve their long-running dispute over the Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean.

Britain agreed last year to hand over the archipelago over to Mauritius after a decades-long dispute.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Mauritian counterpart Navin Ramgoolam spoke directly for the first time about the Chagos Archipelago deal on Friday.

The UK must hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, even if Donald Trump scuttles the current proposed agreement, the Mauritian prime minister has said. Navin Ramgoolam has demanded that deal or no deal, the Chagos Islands should return to Mauritian control.