Senior figures in Sir Keir Starmer's government have branded Donald Trump's approach to international relations as "not normal" after the US president launched a furious social media attack on Britain's agreement to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Trump's Social Media Rant Over Diego Garcia
In a series of posts on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday 20 January 2026, President Trump described the UK's plan as an act of "great stupidity." He claimed the move threatened the future of the vital US military base on Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos archipelago.
"Shockingly, our 'brilliant' NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia... to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER," Trump wrote. He linked the issue to his escalating rhetoric about acquiring Greenland from Denmark, stating the Chagos decision was "another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired."
UK Government Hits Back, Insisting Diplomacy Works
The UK government swiftly responded, defending the deal and revealing it had already been welcomed by the United States and other key allies. A government spokesperson stated the action was necessary because court decisions had undermined the UK's position and threatened the base's future operation.
Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones, a close ally of Sir Keir Starmer, addressed the controversy on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. While acknowledging the president's method was "challenging" and "noisy," he insisted the Prime Minister's strategy of private diplomacy was yielding results, citing progress on US-UK trade deals.
"It's not normal for geopolitical discussions to be handled in this way," Jones admitted. "But British diplomacy is working."
A Stark U-Turn and 'Presidential Trolling'
The outburst marks a dramatic reversal from Trump's position less than a year earlier. During Sir Keir's visit to the White House in February 2025, the president had told the Prime Minister he was "inclined to go with your country" and felt the relationship would "work out very well."
Labour MP and Foreign Affairs Committee chair Emily Thornberry characterised Trump's posts as "presidential trolling." She advised that while the UK should not take the president "literally," it must take him "seriously" and hold its ground.
The incident occurred amid heightened tensions between NATO allies and the US over Trump's threats regarding Greenland. The president fuelled this further by sharing an apparent AI-generated image of himself and Vice President JD Vance planting a US flag in Greenland with a sign reading "Greenland, US territory, est 2026."
When questioned on the potential collapse of NATO, Darren Jones was firm: "We are not giving up on NATO." He also unequivocally rejected any UK participation in a proposed "Board of Peace" that included Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating, "President Putin is not a man of peace and it would be absurd for him to be on a board of peace."
