US President Donald Trump has urged UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to abandon plans to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, describing the move as a 'big mistake'. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump warned that Starmer was 'losing control' of the strategically important Diego Garcia island, which hosts a joint US-UK military base.
Trump's latest intervention contradicts earlier statements from his administration. Just a day earlier, the US State Department had officially backed the deal, and earlier this month Trump himself had called it the 'best' deal Starmer could make. However, on Wednesday, Trump claimed the claims of entities seeking the transfer were 'fictitious in nature' and urged the UK to remain strong against 'wokeism'.
The US president also raised the possibility of using Diego Garcia, along with RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, if Iran fails to reach a peace deal with the US. He warned that a 100-year lease would be 'tenuous at best' and that losing control of the island would be 'a blight on our great ally'.
The UK government defended the agreement, with a Foreign Office spokesperson stating it is 'the only way to guarantee the long-term future of this vital military base'. However, the deal has faced domestic criticism. Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel called it an 'utter humiliation', while Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said Trump's 'flip-flopping' showed the approach was 'doomed to fail'.
Meanwhile, British authorities have issued removal orders against four Chagossians who landed on a remote atoll in the Chagos Archipelago this week in an attempt to challenge the transfer. The orders warn that returning would be a criminal offence punishable by up to three years' imprisonment and a fine of £3,000.
The UN committee on the elimination of racial discrimination has urged both Britain and Mauritius not to ratify the 2025 agreement, citing risks of perpetuating historical rights violations. Up to 2,000 Chagossians were forcibly removed from the archipelago in the 1960s and 1970s, and many seek the right to return.
