There are signs of unease within the Government about the plan to hand over the British Indian Ocean Territory.

The UK government has denied claims made by the prime minister of Mauritius that it faces paying more under a renegotiated deal over the future of the Chagos Islands. Last October, the UK announced it would hand over sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius but maintain a 99-year lease over the UK-US military airbase on the largest island,

The UK government said it wouldn’t provide any details on a proposed multibillion-pound deal to continue operating a military base in the Chagos archipelago once it cedes control of the islands until it’s finalized,