UK Government to Proceed with Chagos Deal Despite Trump's Opposition
The British government has announced it will continue to pursue the Chagos Islands sovereignty agreement with Mauritius, despite renewed and vocal opposition from former United States President Donald Trump. Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones confirmed that the proposed legislation, which was previously withdrawn, will be reintroduced to Parliament as soon as the parliamentary timetable permits.
Legislative Progress and Geopolitical Tensions
The proposed legislation is scheduled for debate in the House of Lords, following its withdrawal last month due to a Conservative-led amendment calling for a pause in light of changing geopolitical circumstances. President Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, describing the current agreement as a big mistake because of the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The deal would involve the UK leasing back the base on Diego Garcia, but Trump criticised this arrangement as tenuous and no good.
Ms Davies-Jones emphasised the deal's importance, stating: This deal is essential and crucial for the national security of the United Kingdom and that is the first priority of any government. She added that the Bill would be brought back promptly because it concerns national security. The minister also highlighted Trump's inconsistent stance on the issue, noting that he has publicly supported the deal multiple times before denouncing it with similar frequency.
Political Reactions and International Pressure
President Trump's latest comments came after former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a vocal critic of the Chagos deal, returned from a trip to Washington where he discussed the plans with members of the Trump administration. Trump then posted on Truth Social, warning that the base could be vital for a US strike on Iran and urging Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer not to give away Diego Garcia.
Both Conservative shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who oppose the deal, backed Trump and called on Sir Keir to scrap it. Tory shadow Home Office minister Alicia Kearns argued that the agreement was unnecessary and claimed people had been misled over the reasoning behind it. The government, however, maintains that recent international court decisions have threatened the future of the base.
Financial Implications and Chagossian Perspectives
The deal is expected to see the UK pay Mauritius approximately £35 billion over the next century, averaging £350 million per year, to lease back the Diego Garcia base. Ms Kearns criticised the government's urgency, telling Times Radio: We were told that there were weeks, only weeks for which the base could continue to operate safely. And now many, many months on, we're finding out that actually the entire basis on which the Labour Government said they only had weeks to negotiate and get this done was not true.
Meanwhile, the exiled first minister of the Chagos Islands urged Sir Keir Starmer to cancel the deal and hand sovereignty to Mauritius. Misley Mandarin, one of four Chagossians who returned to the islands this week to reclaim their homeland, told BBC Radio 4 that Sir Keir would be a hero if he cancelled the deal. He appealed: I'll say Keir Starmer, as my Prime Minister, you have to look at this treaty again. British Chagossian on this island, yesterday you sent patrol to give us removal notice, the island belong to us. Harold Wilson did that... removing the Chagossian from their homeland and that is a stain on British politics but now it's 2026, Keir Starmer, you could be a hero right now. Don't ratify that deal, cancel that deal and let Chagossians come back to their homeland as British.
The government's commitment to the deal underscores its strategic priorities amid domestic and international pressures, with national security cited as the paramount concern.
