The debate on the proposal for the UK to cede the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius has been postponed as Conservative MPs led by party leader Kemi Badenoch warn that the cession could be in breach of a 1966 agreement with the US, which enshrines British sovereignty over the islands for military reasons.

The House of Lords was due to begin consideration of the proposal from Keir Starmer’s Labour government on Monday, but this has now been postponed until Friday, reports The Telegraph.

The opposition from the Conservatives appears to have arisen during the World Economic Forum in Davos, after US President Donald Trump had said that giving away the Chagos Islands is a big stupidity.

The Telegraph understands that Scott Bessent, the US Treasury Secretary, and Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, discussed the Chagos deal during a dinner in Davos.

Badenoch had also expressed concerns to US representatives. She met Mike Johnson, the Republican leader of the House of Representatives, on Monday evening during his visit to Parliament and discussed the issue.

The British head of government points to a legal basis for ceding the islands:</p

Sir Keir has pointed to a non-binding ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2019, which states that the UK should relinquish sovereignty over the islands to Mauritius.

But the UK-US agreement is of an older date:

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The agreement signed in December 1966 between the UK and the US stipulated that the Chagos Islands “shall remain under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom”.

The treaty, which was registered with the UN one year after the archipelago became British territory in the Indian Ocean, was concluded as part of discussions over the UK and US use of Diego Garcia for defence purposes.

A UK government spokesman says the UK and US will still be able to retain their joint base on the island of Diego Garcia.

However, the postponement of the hearing seems to raise the question: Will Keir Starmer’s plan to give away the Chagos Islands fall through?

The UK government has said it will not give up the island.