The controversial Chagos deal will be sent to Mauritius for sign-off as soon as tomorrow, sources in the island nation have said.
Just days after Donald Trump appeared to give the handover his backing, one senior insider familiar with the deal has told The Telegraph that Tuesday is expected to be the agreement's "D-Day" following months of argument and speculation.
On Sunday, Reform UK announced it would "cancel" any deal after the next General Election - and leader Nigel Farage had previously vowed that a Trump-led United States would "veto" the agreement.
But on Thursday, the President said he had "a feeling it’s going to work out very well".
Donald Trump appeared to back Britain's handover of the Chagos Islands in a major victory for Sir Keir Starmer's Labour
REUTERSTrump added: "They're talking about a very long-term, powerful lease, a very strong lease, about 140 years. Actually, it's a long time. And I think we'll be inclined to go along with your country... I think it’s a little bit early - we have to be given the details - but it doesn’t sound bad."
Mauritius was "just awaiting confirmation" from Britain before taking the final agreement to its cabinet, according to The Telegraph.
Meanwhile, Britain was waiting for the US to approve the deal - and Trump's comments are said to have been seen as a "green light" to take the handover further.
In Mauritius, the President's remarks have also been welcomed.
READ MORE ON THE CHAGOS GIVEAWAY:
- 'All territories are in danger' Keir Starmer warned against offering up more sovereign land amid Chagos deal: 'Look after the British people!'
- 'It's not over!' Keir Starmer faces Chagos 'fightback' as US still 'deeply concerned' after Donald Trump backs deal
- ‘We will rip up that deal’: Reform UK’s Richard Tice blasts Chagos handover as ‘worst deal in history’ and pledges to IGNORE payments
'It seems positive. We will wait and see what the final proposals are,' Mauritian PM Navin Ramgoolam has said
REUTERS
Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam said: "It seems positive. We will wait and see what the final proposals are."
A Whitehall source said they were "not going to get into timeframes", but added: "With President Trump's comments last week, we are getting close and an agreement is within sight."
As part of the handover deal, Britain will hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius - which will then lease back Diego Garcia to the UK for 99 years, so it can continue in its role as a joint UK-US military base.
Taxpayers are set to cough up as much as £90million every year for 99 years - a total sum of £8.9billion.
Kemi Badenoch has pledged that her Conservative Party 'will not stop our opposition to the surrender of the Chagos Islands'
PAThe Government has repeatedly refused to confirm the cost of the deal, however, Ramgoolam has claimed that Mauritius will be given much of the money up front.
It comes after Sir Keir Starmer announced Labour would be hiking defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, which critics have warned could be diluted if it was engineered to include the Chagos payments.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch then told the BBC on Sunday: "That is money which the Prime Minister seems to have confirmed is coming out of the defence increase that he has just announced. That's terrible.
"He did not deny it when he was asked so we will not stop our opposition to the surrender of the Chagos Islands. We will continue."
