President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was inclined to back a deal between Britain and Mauritius over the future of a U.S.-UK military base in the Chagos Islands, in a boost for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

New Delhi has far more influence on Mauritius than may be noticed in Europe. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, then prime minister of Mauritius, at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India, Apr. 25, 2022.

The Chagos Islands deal will not go forward without the support of US President Donald Trump, the foreign secretary has said. David Lammy told ITV's Peston programme, the UK had "a shared military and intelligence interest" with the US "and of course they've got to be happy with the deal or there is no deal".