Keir Starmer has disclosed that US intelligence agencies disagree with Donald Trump's newly expressed opposition to the Chagos Islands deal, insisting the agreement bolsters American defences. The Prime Minister made the remarks en route to Beijing, where he is set to discuss national security and other issues.
Downing Street sources have emphasised that the deal, formally approved by Starmer and his Mauritian counterpart last May, is a “done deal” and will not be derailed by the US president. They noted that neither the US State Department nor intelligence agencies have indicated a change of heart, despite Trump’s fiery rhetoric.
Starmer said the Trump administration paused the deal for three months upon taking office to conduct an agency-level review. “Once they’d done that, they were very clear in the pronouncements about the fact that they supported the deal – announcements made by defence secretary Marco Rubio and by President Trump himself,” he told reporters.
Trump last week called the handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius an “act of great stupidity”, linking it to his ambitions to acquire Greenland. In a series of social media posts, he claimed the UK was giving away the Diego Garcia base “for no reason whatsoever” and that China and Russia had noticed the “total weakness”.
The agreement, struck in October 2024, transfers sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while securing a 99-year lease for the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, at a projected cost of £3.4 billion. However, the next legislative stage has been delayed in the House of Lords, with Downing Street citing ongoing discussions with the US.
