UK defends Chagos deal after Trump calls transfer ‘extremely stupid’

The British government has defended a deal to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and lease back a key military base after US President Donald Trump criticized its handling.

Months after he and senior U.S. officials backed the move, Trump called the move “extremely stupid” in a social media post. Later on Tuesday, he confirmed he was “opposed” to the deal.

The British government said it would “never compromise on our national security”, while the Prime Minister’s official spokesman insisted the US still supported the move.

Britain signed a 3.4 billion pound ($4.6 billion) deal in May under which it would retain control of British and American military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island.

That morning, Trump posted on his “Truth Social” platform: “It is shocking that our ‘brilliant’ NATO ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to cede Diego Garcia, home to a key US military base, to Mauritius, and for no reason whatsoever.

“There is no doubt that China and Russia have taken note of this behavior of utter weakness.”

He added: “It would be a profound folly for the UK to give up vitally important land and is yet another in a long line of national security reasons why Greenland must be acquired.”

The prime minister’s official spokesman responded that the United States supported the deal and that “the president clearly recognized its strength last year”.

He added that it also has the support of the UK’s Five Eyes alliance, which in addition to the UK and the US, has Canada, Australia and New Zealand as its other members.

Asked if it could be made clear that the Chagos agreement would go ahead, even though it was still before parliament, the spokesman said: “Yes. To be clear, our position has not changed.”

Earlier, a British government spokesman said that the British government took this action “because the court judgment weakens our position, puts the Diego Garcia base at risk and prevents its future operation as intended.”

They added that the agreement “has secured the operation of joint US-UK military bases for generations and sets out strong provisions to keep their unique capabilities intact and exclude our adversaries,” noting that the agreement has been welcomed by allies, including the United States.

Asked at the White House late Tuesday about his stance on the deal, Trump said: “When they were originally going to do it, they were talking about the concept of doing some ownership, but now they’re basically just looking to lease it and sell it, and I’m opposed to that.”

He said the Chagos Islands were “a pretty important part of the planet”, adding: “I think they should keep it.”

“I don’t know why they do it – do they need the money?” Trump added.

Mauritius Attorney General Gavin Glover said he still hoped the deal would go ahead.

He said in a statement that “it is important to remember” that the agreement was “exclusively negotiated, reached and signed by the United Kingdom and the Republic of Mauritius”.

He added: “The sovereignty of the Republic of Mauritius over the Chagos Archipelago is clearly recognized by international law and should no longer be contested.”

The agreement follows a long-running dispute between Britain and the former British colony of Mauritius over sovereignty over the Chagos archipelago.

In 1965, the Chagos Islands separated from Mauritius, which was still a British colony at the time. Britain bought the islands for £3 million, but Mauritius argued it was forced to illegally abandon them as part of a deal to gain independence.

Under the deal reached in May last year, Britain would transfer sovereignty over the islands to Mauritius while retaining control of the military base on Diego Garcia.

It will lease Diego Garcia back for 99 years at an average cost of £101 million per annum. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said this was necessary to protect the base from “malign influence”.

Before signing the deal, the UK provided Trump with an effective veto because of the implications for US security.

The president’s allies criticized the plan, but after Meeting Sir Keir in the Oval Office Last February, Trump said “I think we would be inclined to work with your country.”

After the agreement was signed in May, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, Washington “welcomes” the agreement.

He said this ensured “the long-term, stable and effective operation of the joint US-UK military installation on Diego Garcia,” which he called a “vital asset to regional and global security.”

Rubio added, “President Trump expressed his support for this landmark achievement when he met with Prime Minister Starmer at the White House.”

government bill Implementation of the agreement between the UK and Mauritian governments is currently in its final stages.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch posted on X on Tuesday that the prime minister now had “an opportunity to change course on Chagos.”

“Paying to hand over the Chagos Islands would not only be foolish, it would be completely self-destructive,” she said.

Nigel Farage, the leader of the British reformist group who has long criticized the agreement, posted on X: “Thank God Trump vetoed the decision to hand over the Chagos Islands”.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said Trump’s comments showed Sir Keir’s approach to engaging with the US president had “failed”.

“The Chagos Agreement was sold as evidence that the government could work with him, but now it’s falling apart,” David said in a post on X.

“It’s time for the government to stand up to Trump; appeasing bullies won’t work.”

Emily Thornberry, the Labor MP and chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that while the UK should take Trump “seriously”, his comments should not be taken “literally”.

She described his comments on Tuesday as an example of “presidential trolling” and said she was “in favor of staying calm and trying to stand by”.

Two British Chagossian women born on Diego Garcia – Bernadette Dugas and Betrice Pompe – want the right to return to their birthplace and say they have been excluded from discussions on the deal.

Pompeo told the BBC she believed the US president’s criticism of the deal was “a good thing” but “just words”.

“I would like the deal to stop and not (see) funds being provided to the Mauritian government,” Dugas said via WhatsApp.

Chagossians should be allowed “to sit at the table and decide our future,” she said.

Additional reporting by Alice Cady