Former Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has said he would have been “cautious” about handing the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Speaking to GB News, he said: “I would have been very cautious about changing the status of the Chagos Islands because of my time as Defence Secretary. We used Chagos, as did the Americans.

“And I think before any decision is taken, it's important to have the support, consent, and agreement of the United States.

“I assume this will be one of the issues that the Prime Minister will be discussing with the US President.

“It's of vital interest to the United States to have a base. I know the agreement that has been reached preserves the base for 99 years.

“But at the same time, I’d want to be confident, if I was still Defence Secretary, that the US was fully behind this, and that means the new administration, not simply the previous one.”