The British government says it is confident its plan to secure the future of a U.S.-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia will be ratified after an ally of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and the new Mauritian prime minister publicly dismissed the deal.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has played down criticism from the new Mauritian prime minister and the incoming Trump administration of a deal to cede control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Under the agreement,

The new government of Mauritius has raised concerns about UK plans to secure a key US military base after giving up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, people familiar with its thinking said. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is seeking to finalise a long-term lease over the Diego Garcia base on the Indian Ocean islands after a deal to relinquish control was agreed with the previous Mauritian leader last month.

Britain is confident its plan to secure the future of a U.S.-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia will be ratified, despite being dismissed by the new Mauritian prime minister and an ally of President-elect Donald Trump.

When President-elect Donald Trump said Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would recommend major cuts to the federal government in his administration, many public employees knew that their jobs could be on the line.