The prime minister has stressed he wants ‘strong protections’ for the UK-US military base on the island chain

Keir Starmer has urged Mauritius to ensure the deal for the Chagos Islands keeps them free from “malign influence”, amid concern in Mauritius and the US about the terms of the deal.

The prime minister spoke to his counterpart, Navin Ramgoolam, for the first time on Friday afternoon to discuss the agreement to hand over control of the islands, which was signed last year but has attracted criticism from people close to the new US president, Donald Trump.