A judge temporarily blocked the British government’s plans to hand control of the strategically significant Chagos Islands to Mauritius on Thursday, an 11th-hour legal twist to an effort that has been intensely controversial in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

A British court on Thursday paved the way for a government deal on returning the remote Chagos Islands to Mauritius, lifting a temporary ban which had forced an 11th-hour halt to an accord being signed .

Mauritius and Russia have agreed to strengthen ties, amid fears that the UK was too hasty in deciding to hand over the Chagos Islands.

The decision to return the islands at a cost to the UK has been made amid welfare cuts and calls to prioritise domestic spending.