It is understood the UK has still not received a formal exchange of letters from the US – a legal necessity required for the treaty to be enacted.<\/p>\n
The Chagos Islands – officially known as the British Indian Ocean Territory – are located in the Indian Ocean and Britain has controlled them since the early 19th Century.<\/p>\n
The deal would see the UK cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius, and pay an average cost of \u00a3101m ($136m) a year to lease back a joint UK-US military base on the largest island, Diego Garcia.<\/p>\n
A government spokesperson said: “Diego Garcia is a key strategic military asset for both the UK and the US. <\/p>\n
“Ensuring its long-term operational security is and will continue to be our priority – it is the entire reason for the deal.<\/p>\n
“We continue to believe the agreement is the best way to protect the long-term future of the base, but we have always said we would only proceed with the deal if it has US support. We are continuing to engage with the US and Mauritius.”<\/p>\n
The UK had been in the process of passing legislation to enshrine the Chagos deal into law. The bill was in the final stages of its passage, but officials say time has now run out. <\/p>\n