Donald Trump has denounced the UK government's plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius as 'an act of great stupidity'. In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US president-elect linked the move to his own push to acquire Greenland from Denmark, claiming it made his territorial ambitions more important.
The Chagos Islands, a British Indian Ocean Territory since 1965, were home to the Chagossian people until they were forcibly removed in the 1970s to make way for a US military base on Diego Garcia. The UK-Mauritius treaty, currently progressing through Parliament, would see sovereignty transferred to Mauritius while allowing the US base to remain for 99 years.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK's Nigel Farage have both criticised the treaty, aligning with Trump despite his threats of tariffs on European countries. They argue the deal undermines British sovereignty and fails to secure the rights of the Chagossian people, who have long campaigned for the right to return.
Chagossian representatives have welcomed the treaty as a step towards justice, but some activists insist it does not go far enough, demanding full resettlement rights. The deal has become a political flashpoint, with critics accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of ceding territory under pressure from international courts.
