The UK government has acknowledged it will not be able to pass legislation to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius before the current parliamentary session concludes in the coming weeks.

UK officials confirmed on Friday that there was insufficient time remaining to complete the legislative process for the islands' transfer. The delay comes after the agreement faced a lack of support from the incoming Trump administration in the United States.

The Chagos Islands, a British Indian Ocean Territory, have been the subject of a long-standing sovereignty dispute between the UK and Mauritius. The islands include Diego Garcia, which hosts a strategically important US military base.

In response to the legislative delay, Mauritius' foreign minister has pledged that the government will "spare no effort" to regain control of the islands. A senior Mauritian official stated that the Chagos Islands will be "decolonised," indicating the country's continued commitment to pursuing sovereignty over the territory.

The parliamentary session's end means that any legislation to transfer the islands would need to be reintroduced in a future session. The timing of such reintroduction remains unclear given the changed political dynamics and US position on the matter.