Highlights
- UK says Chagos deal protects national security and the future of the Diego Garcia base
- Trump calls the agreement an act of “great stupidity” and “total weakness”
- Britain says court rulings had put the base’s operations at risk
- Deal secures long-term US-UK military presence through a lease arrangement
UK on Tuesday defended its deal to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after US President Donald Trump described the agreement as an act of “great stupidity”.
“The UK will never compromise on our national security. We acted because the base on Diego Garcia was under threat after court decisions undermined our position and would have prevented it operating as intended in future,” a government spokesperson said.
Trump criticised the agreement in posts on his Truth Social platform, saying: “The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired.”
He also called the deal an “act of total weakness”, writing: “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.”
Trump said there was no doubt that “China and Russia have noticed this act” by the UK, again linking the issue to his argument that Greenland should be acquired for US security reasons.
The comments mark a change in Trump’s position, after he had previously endorsed the deal.
Under the agreement, Britain will hand back the Chagos archipelago in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius, its former colony, while paying to lease Diego Garcia, the largest island, which hosts a joint US-UK military air base.
Britain retained control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence in the 1960s, but evicted thousands of Chagos islanders, who have since brought legal claims for compensation in British courts.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice recommended that Britain hand the archipelago to Mauritius after decades of legal disputes.
Britain and Mauritius struck the deal last year, allowing Britain to retain control of the air base under a long-term lease. When the agreement was signed in May, the US administration said it “welcomed” the deal and commended efforts to secure the long-term operation of the joint military base.
British senior minister Darren Jones said on Tuesday that the agreement was the best option for the military base and would allow it to operate for the next 100 years.
“The treaty has already been signed,” Jones told Times Radio, adding that it could not now be changed.
“The best way we believe for Britain to respond … is convening around the world using our diplomatic heft and using the Prime Minister’s relationship with the President to protect British interests,” he said.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has built a relationship with Trump, becoming the first leader to secure a deal to lower some tariffs, though ties have been strained in recent days by disagreements over Greenland and Trump’s comments on Diego Garcia.
Trump has said the growing presence of China and Russia makes Greenland vital to US security interests and has repeatedly said he will settle for nothing less than ownership of Greenland.
Britain said the Chagos deal was taken to protect national security.
“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,” the government spokesperson said.
(With inputs from agencies)
