Keir Starmer has said US intelligence agencies disagree with Donald Trump’s newly found opposition to the Chagos Islands deal, insisting the agreement remains a 'done deal' despite the US president’s U-turn. Speaking on a flight to Beijing, the prime minister underlined that the US administration had supported the deal after a thorough agency-level review, bolstering defences at the joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia.
Downing Street sources have told the Guardian the deal, formally approved by Starmer and his Mauritian counterpart last May, will not be scuppered by the US. They added that the UK government had heard nothing from the US Department of State or intelligence agencies to suggest a change of mind, despite Trump’s fiery rhetoric. The next stage of the bill connected to the handover has been delayed in the House of Lords, with No 10 saying discussions with the US are ongoing.
Trump last week blasted the deal as an 'act of great stupidity' and linked it to his push to acquire Greenland, but Starmer said the US president had previously backed the agreement in clear terms. The Labour government agreed in October 2024 to hand over sovereignty of Chagos to Mauritius, securing a 99-year lease of Diego Garcia at a projected cost of £3.4bn. British officials noted the deal was agreed under pressure from Washington, which was concerned about the base’s future if Mauritius won an international court case.
