British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday told his Mauritian counterpart, Navin Ramgoolam, that he wants "strong protections", including from "malign influence", for a U.S.-British military base on Diego Garcia,

The UK has asked for "strong protections" for a joint UK-US military base on the Chagos Islands. Britain agreed last year to hand over the archipelago over to Mauritius after a decades-long dispute.

Speculation is rife that U.S. President Donald Trump might block an agreement between Britain and Mauritius to resolve their long-running dispute over the Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Mauritian counterpart Navin Ramgoolam on Friday spoke directly for the first time about the Chagos Islands deal, Starmer's office said.

The Prime Minister told Navin Ramgoolam he wants ‘strong protections’ for the UK-US military base on the island chain.