Nigel Farage has issued a stark warning that Donald Trump will not "put up with" the UK's planned handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, as Sir Keir Starmer confronts mounting pressure to reconsider the controversial agreement.
US President's Dramatic Stance Shift
The Reform UK leader has revealed that the US president now believes the deal for Britain to transfer the territory - which includes the strategically vital Diego Garcia military base - represents a wrong decision for Western interests.
This intervention follows the postponement of parliamentary debate on the plan, after peers resisted its progression through the House of Lords.
From Support to Opposition
Mr Trump and his administration had strongly endorsed the agreement last year, but in a remarkable reversal last week, the former president branded the arrangement "stupid".
Sir Keir Starmer has accused the Americans of altering their position as a pressure tactic, connecting the shift to ongoing NATO tensions concerning Greenland.
Davos Discussions Reveal US Concerns
Mr Farage disclosed to The Times that he discussed the Chagos situation with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during the World Economic Forum in Davos.
"Scott has looked at all of this and has said it's not in our interests, it's not in the interests of the Western alliance and frankly we're not going to put up with it," Mr Farage reported.
He elaborated on the changing priorities within the Trump administration: "Donald has been obsessed with the Middle East, Iran, Ukraine, you name it. This has been seen necessarily to be an item six agenda. Now it is up the agenda."
The Reform leader emphasised the strength of American opposition: "They could not have been clearer about how they feel about it: they are horrified about it."
Parliamentary Delays and Treaty Concerns
The Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill has been delayed after Conservative peers tabled an amendment calling for a pause "in light of the changing geopolitical circumstances."
This amendment demands that the Government ensure the Chagos agreement does not violate a 1966 treaty signed with the United States, which confirms British sovereignty over the islands.
The Proposed Transfer Terms
Under the current arrangement:
- The Indian Ocean archipelago would be handed to Mauritius
- Britain would lease back the Diego Garcia military base for at least 99 years
- The facility is jointly operated with the United States
- The total estimated cost to the UK approaches £30 billion
It remains unclear when the legislation will return to the House of Lords for debate and complete its parliamentary passage.
Political Responses and Chagossian Involvement
A Labour source in the Lords insisted that Mr Trump's comments did not influence the decision to reschedule the Bill, attributing the delay instead to Conservative procedural tactics.
"It is simply a response to Tory peers having flexed their much greater numbers in the House by tabling a wrecking amendment to a Government Bill just hours before the end of business ahead of a scheduled debate on the next sitting day," they explained.
The Conservative amendment would also require ministers to give the Chagossian people - who were forcibly removed from the islands during the 1960s and 1970s - a formal voice in the agreement's final terms.
This development adds another layer of complexity to an already contentious diplomatic and constitutional issue, with implications for UK-US relations, military strategy, and post-colonial sovereignty disputes.
