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Britain will refuse to hand over more money to Mauritius in its contested agreement on the future of the Chagos Islands, UK officials have warned, as the issue erupts into a major row at Westminster.

The new prime minister of Mauritius has reopened talks on the future of the islands, which have fallen into a deal made in the UK his predecessor into chaos and creating a huge political headache for the British premier Sir Keir Starmer.

Kemi BadenochConservative leader, Starmer was accused of “kneeling” in international negotiations and said he was “giving things away for free”, criticizing the original agreement struck by the previous government of Mauritius.

That agreement included a financial settlement offered by Britain to Mauritius and UK officials are adamant it will not happen again. “There’s no more money – we’re clear on that,” said one.

Britain seeks to secure a key US military base on the atoll of Diego Garcia by ceding sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in the draft deal.

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, claimed that the incoming administration of US president-elect Donald Trump was “shocked” by the deal.

Now the new prime minister of Mauritius, Navin Ramgoolam, says that the proposed agreement, which has not yet been ratified by the treaty, “will not bring the benefits that the country can expect” and that negotiations have started again.

Starmer’s spokesman said the UK government was engaging with the new Mauritian administration, adding: “We remain confident that the agreement is in the mutual interests of both sides.”

Another British official said: “It’s a good deal. You would expect a future government to look into this.”

The official insisted that Washington institutions – including the State Department, the Pentagon and the White House – all supported the deal and argued that Trump would recognize it as reasonable.

The UK did not say how much it would pay Mauritius under the agreement with the former government of Pravind Jugnauth in October but said there would be “an indexed annual payment for the duration of the agreement”, a “partnership” for infrastructure investment, and a trust. funds for the Chagossians.

Ramgoolam did not specify what Mauritius wanted to renegotiate. People familiar with the government’s thinking told the Financial Times last month that there was concerned about the 99-year length in a lease that the UK will get the Diego Garcia base after the surrender of Mauritius.

Ramgoolam’s push to renegotiate the Chagos accord is part of his broad rejection of the hallmark policies of Jugnauth, a longtime personal rival, since the November election. The two men represent political dynasties that have been at war since Mauritian independence in 1968.

This month Ramgoolam, who is serving as prime minister for the third time and has also taken the post of finance minister, accused Jugnauth’s former government of falsifying GDP and debt figures for years in what is widely seen as one of the most rich African economies.

Badenoch took up the issue ahead of Westminster’s Christmas break, claiming Starmer’s dealings with Mauritius were part of a pattern of behavior he has also been accused of falling victim to by train drivers and searchers. residences in the EU.

“Labour will always be on its knees,” he said, claiming that Starmer would make concessions to Brussels in 2025 to secure a better trade relationship, including accepting the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in some those places.

“They were taken for a ride and gave things away for free hoping that the other side would be nice to them in return,” he told X. “They put our national security at risk and agreed to give up the Chagos Islands and pay for it.”