Le Week-End, a Mauritian newspaper, reported on Sunday that the two countries could announce a deal early this week after the UK agreed to the front-loading of payments. British officials said that while “a deal is there to be done, it’s not done yet”.

The UK and Mauritius are reportedly making significant progress in their negotiations to finalize a treaty concerning the future of a U.S.-British military base in the Chagos Islands. Both nations have expressed their commitment to ensuring Mauritius' sovereignty and maintaining effective operations at the Diego Garcia base.

The UK has agreed to the Mauritian request for a front-loading payment of the lease compensation of 90 million pounds ($110 million) per year as a sweetener to the Chagos islands deal, the Week-End newspaper reported on Sunday.

Mauritius is reportedly in “no rush” to secure a Chagos Island deal with the UK before Donald Trump takes office. Officials have told The Telegraph that the Mauritian government is pushing for more money,

Mauritius is in “no rush” to secure a Chagos Islands deal with the UK and is still pushing for more money, officials have told The Telegraph.

Surrendering UK sovereignty of the Chagos Islands is an “irresponsible act”, a Labour former minister has said, backing calls for the Government to withdraw from a deal over the territory. Admiral Lord West of Spithead,

The UK is considering front-loading its funding package for Mauritius as part of a sweetened deal ceding sovereignty of the Chagos islands, including a key UK-US military base, to the Indian Ocean nation.