US President Donald Trump has criticised the UK's decision to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, describing it as an act of 'great stupidity' and linking it to his ambition to acquire Greenland.
In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump said the UK was giving away Diego Garcia, home to a vital US military base, 'for no reason whatsoever'. He claimed the move demonstrated 'total weakness' and was noted by China and Russia, adding that it was 'another in a very long line of national security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired'.
A UK government spokesperson defended the deal, saying it secures the operation of the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia for generations and has been welcomed by the US, Australia, and other Five Eyes allies. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones also said the deal was the best way to secure the base for the next 100 years.
Conservative and Reform UK figures backed Trump's stance. Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel called the deal a 'Chagos surrender' that is bad for national security, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said it was 'complete self-sabotage'. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said, 'Thank goodness Trump has vetoed the surrender of the Chagos islands.'
The UK has signed a £3.4bn agreement with Mauritius to transfer sovereignty over the islands, but the deal faces opposition in the House of Lords. Trump’s comments come as he ramps up rhetoric on taking over Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark.
