Britain and Mauritius denied on Wednesday media reports that London could end up paying double the amount in 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.

Britain struck a deal in October to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius – a former colony that became independent in 1968 – while retaining control under a 99-year lease of the military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island of the Chagos archipelago.

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.

Mauritius's prime minister said Tuesday that his country had reached a newly renegotiated deal with Britain over control of the strategic Chagos Islands, but was awaiting US President Donald Trump's opinion.

Navin Ramgoolam said Donald Trump was ‘not a wolf’ and it was better to let him review the prospective deal between the UK and Mauritius.