Donald Trump changed his mind on supporting the Chagos Islands deal because the UK will not permit its airbases to be used for a pre-emptive US strike on Iran, the Guardian has been told. The US president said on social media that Keir Starmer was “making a big mistake” by handing sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius in exchange for continued use of the airbase on Diego Garcia.
Trump had previously criticised the plan, which is backed by the US state department, but earlier in February he described it as the “best” deal Starmer could make in the circumstances. In a post on Truth Social, he linked the deal to US military strikes against Iran over its nuclear ambitions, writing that it might be necessary to use Diego Garcia and the airfield at Fairford in Gloucestershire to “eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime”.
A pre-emptive strike on Iran would be unlikely to align with the UK’s interpretation of international law. US bases in the UK are only used for military operations if the government agrees and considers them legal. UK government sources said this was viewed as the reason for Trump again turning against the Chagos plan.
On Tuesday night, Starmer and Trump spoke in a conversation covering Iran, though the Downing Street readout made no mention of the Chagos plan. The hope in No 10 is that Trump will change his mind again. The bill setting out the Chagos agreement is due to return to the House of Lords soon, but it is now not expected for several weeks. Under parliamentary rules, if it is not passed before the end of the current session in May, it would have to be presented again.
Ben Judah, a former special adviser to David Lammy, said he was concerned the deal might be scuppered. The shadow foreign secretary, Priti Patel, is giving a speech in Washington DC next week and said the deal was “now dead in the water”, adding: “It’s impossible for the deal to proceed without the support of our American allies.” A government spokesperson said: “As routine, we do not comment on operational matters. There is a political process ongoing between the US and Iran, which the UK supports.”
