A British minister denied on Wednesday media reports that the government could end up paying billions of pounds more to Mauritius under a renegotiated deal to retain a U.S.-British military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

If Britain wants to remain a reliable partner in our security alliance, it must be willing to defend its sovereignty. As much as President Trump uses unpredictability as a diplomatic tool, I can predict one thing for sure: there is no way he will allow Britain to give up its sovereignty over the Chagos Islands.

A Labour minister has squirmed under pressure after being questioned about the Government's plans to hand over of the Chagos Islands as well as billions of pounds. The British Indian Ocean Territory includes a crucial naval base on land leased by the United States from the UK military. Since 1971. Only the atoll of Diego Garcia has been inhabited