Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has revealed that US President Donald Trump initially gave his backing to the Chagos Islands handover deal following a comprehensive review by American intelligence agencies. This disclosure comes despite Mr Trump's recent criticism of the agreement, which he labelled an "act of great stupidity".
Initial Support and Subsequent Criticism
Sir Keir emphasised that the Trump administration "concluded that it was a deal they wanted to support" after the proposal underwent detailed examination "at an agency level" during the early months of the president's term. The Prime Minister pointed to public statements from Mr Trump and his senior officials, who had previously praised the arrangement as a "monumental achievement" that would secure the long-term future of the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.
Transatlantic Tensions and Geopolitical Context
The president's recent criticism emerged alongside escalating transatlantic tensions concerning his ambitions to take control of Greenland. Sir Keir suggested these remarks were made with the "express purpose of putting pressure" on the United Kingdom to lift its objections to American demands regarding the Arctic island.
When questioned about whether Chagos was discussed during their weekend telephone conversation, Sir Keir told reporters accompanying him to China: "I've obviously discussed Chagos with Donald Trump a number of times. It has been raised with the White House at the tail end of last week, over the weekend and into the early part of this week."
Detailed Agency Review Process
The Prime Minister elaborated on the review process, stating: "The position, as you know, is that when the Trump administration came in, we paused for three months to give them time to consider the Chagos deal, which they did at agency level. Once they'd done that, they were very clear in their pronouncements about the fact that they supported the deal."
High-Level American Endorsements
Sir Keir highlighted supportive statements from key US officials, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who declared in May 2025 that the agreement secured "key US national security interests in the region". Secretary of State Marco Rubio similarly noted that same month that President Trump had "expressed his support for this monumental achievement during his meeting with Prime Minister Starmer at the White House".
The Labour leader declined to speculate on whether Mr Trump fully understood the deal's complexities, reiterating that "it was an agency review that was conducted in the US before they then concluded that it was a deal they wanted to support, did support and did so in very clear terms".
Parliamentary Scrutiny and Political Opposition
The Government has postponed a scheduled House of Lords debate on Chagos, highlighting ongoing uncertainty about the archipelago's future. The legislation intended to formalise the agreement is currently in the advanced parliamentary stage known as "ping pong", where bills move between the Commons and Lords until consensus is reached.
Conservative Amendments and Labour Response
This delay followed Conservative peers tabling an amendment calling for a pause "in the light of the changing geopolitical circumstances". The amendment specifically requested assurance that the agreement does not violate a 1966 treaty with the United States confirming British sovereignty over the islands.
Labour attributed the postponement to Tory peers' "wrecking amendment" and maintained that President Trump's recent comments had no influence on the decision. Downing Street confirmed the bill would be rescheduled "in the usual way", with a spokesperson denying indefinite delay.
Political Recriminations and Defence Implications
Tory shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel told the Commons: "Labour's £35 billion Chagos surrender deal is falling apart every single day and it's high time that the Prime Minister tore up this atrocious surrender treaty and put Britain's interests and our defence first and our security first and Britain's hard-pressed taxpayers first."
Labour's foreign minister Seema Malhotra countered that Conservative criticisms represented "political point-scoring at the expense of our national security", reminding MPs that the Tory party had initiated negotiations with Mauritius regarding the Chagos Islands.
Strategic Arrangements and Future Cooperation
Under the proposed agreement, the Indian Ocean islands will be transferred to Mauritius while Britain leases back the Diego Garcia military base for a minimum of 99 years, accompanied by financial payments to Mauritius. A Number 10 spokesperson confirmed that Britain and the United States continue collaborating to ensure the military base's future operations.
