Donald Trump says the United Kingdom’s plan to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is “an act of GREAT STUPIDITY.”
The US president revealed his apparent change of heart in a post on Truth Social
He said the deal, in which the UK would lease a military base on the territory, while handing over sovereignty, is one of the reasons he wants the US to take over Greenland
He wrote: “Shockingly, our brilliant NATO ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital U.S. military base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER.”
The Trump administration has previously backed the deal. In May, the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, called it a “monumental achievement.”
Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has said the 99-year lease on the UK-US military base, after sovereignty is handed over, will cost the UK £101 million a year
“The UK will never compromise on our national security,” a UK government spokesman said, while reacting to Donald Trump’s comments.
“We acted because the base on Diego Garcia was under threat after court decisions undermined our position and would have prevented it from operating as intended in the future.
“This deal secures the operations of the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia for generations, with robust provisions for keeping its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out.
“It has been publicly welcomed by the US, Australia, and all other Five Eyes allies, as well as key international partners including India, Japan, and South Korea.”
When it was signed in May 2025, the text of the deal, external handing the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, was published.
It included details of more UK funding for Mauritius, on top of what Keir Starmer says is the £101 million annual cost to lease the Diego Garcia base.
Meanwhile, Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch described the government’s Chagos deal as “complete self-sabotage”.
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In a message on X, alongside an image of the president’s message, Badenoch says: “Paying to surrender the Chagos Islands is not just an act of stupidity, but of complete self-sabotage.
“I’ve been clear, and unfortunately, on this issue, President Trump is right.
“Keir Starmer’s plan to give away the Chagos Islands is a terrible policy that weakens UK security and hands over our sovereign territory.
“And to top it off, makes us and our NATO allies weaker in the face of our enemies.”
She has been a long-time critic of the agreement, and also says in her post that Starmer has “the chance to change course on Chagos.”
