Trump delays Chagos surrender: Starmer is forced to pull Lords debate on controversial handover after US concerns - raising hope of 15th U-turn
Sir Keir Starmer pulled his deal to surrender the Chagos Islands on Friday night.
Just days after Donald Trump blasted the UK for 'an act of great stupidity' in signing the strategically important archipelago away, Labour withdrew the legislation from a planned debate in the House of Lords on Monday.
While sources claimed the process was simply being delayed, critics warned that without US support it was effectively dead.
Conservative peer Daniel Hannan said: 'We have secured a breathing space. It is now up to Trump and the people around him. If the President sticks to what he said this week, the deal is off.
'If he allows himself to be talked around by the State Department's permanent officials, it will come back.
'It is, I admit, a humiliating thing for Britain that the final decision should be in the hands of our American allies. We ought to have put a stop to the whole business ourselves.
'Still, for the first time in 14 months I am starting to think we might win.'
If the sale is dropped, it would be the 15th U-turn of Sir Keir's time in office.
Last year, Sir Keir signed an agreement with Mauritius - an ally of China - in which Britain would cede sovereignty but have to pay billions of pounds to lease back the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the Indian Ocean islands.
Despite the White House signing off the sale during the presidency of Mr Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, there was hope among critics that Mr Trump would scupper it in his second term.
David Lammy, who was then foreign secretary, even said there would be no deal without Mr Trump's support.
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