The UK government has defended its agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while leasing back a key military base, after US President Donald Trump criticised the deal as an “act of great stupidity”.
Posting on social media, Trump accused the UK of showing “total weakness” by planning to hand over Diego Garcia, home to a major joint UK-US military base. His comments came despite the deal having previously received support from Trump himself and senior figures in his administration.
Downing Street rejected the criticism, saying the government would “never compromise on our national security”. The prime minister’s official spokesperson insisted the United States continued to support the agreement, adding that Trump had explicitly recognised its strength last year. The spokesperson also said the deal was backed by the UK’s Five Eyes intelligence allies, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and confirmed the government’s position on the agreement had not changed.
The £3.4bn agreement, signed in May, would see the UK hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while retaining control of the military base on Diego Garcia under a 99-year lease. The government has argued the deal was necessary after court rulings weakened the UK’s legal position and threatened the future operation of the base. Ministers say the agreement secures the long-term presence of the base with strong safeguards to protect its strategic capabilities.
In his Truth Social post, Trump claimed the decision would not go unnoticed by China and Russia and described the move as endangering Western security interests. He also linked the issue to his long-standing argument that Greenland should be acquired for national security reasons.
UK Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty said the government would engage with the Trump administration in the coming days to reinforce the importance of the deal and how it guarantees the future of the base. Mauritius’ attorney general, Gavin Glover, said he still expected the agreement to proceed, stressing that Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago was already recognised under international law.
The dispute over the islands dates back to 1965, when the UK separated the Chagos Islands from Mauritius prior to Mauritian independence. Mauritius has long argued it was forced to give up the territory, a claim supported by international legal rulings. Under the current agreement, the UK would lease back Diego Garcia at an average cost of £101m per year, a move Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said is essential to protect the base from “malign influence”.
Before the deal was signed, the UK offered the US an effective veto due to the base’s importance to American security. While some of Trump’s allies had criticised the plan, Trump himself indicated support during a meeting with Sir Keir at the White House last year. After the agreement was finalised, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly welcomed it, describing Diego Garcia as a critical asset for regional and global security.
The legislation required to implement the deal is currently in its final stages in Parliament. Opposition figures have seized on Trump’s comments, with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch calling the agreement “complete self-sabotage”. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed Trump had effectively vetoed the deal, while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the government’s approach to the US president had failed.
Labour MP Emily Thornberry, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, urged caution, describing Trump’s remarks as “presidential trolling” and warning against taking them literally.
Meanwhile, some Chagossians say they have been excluded from discussions about the islands’ future. Two women born on Diego Garcia said they want the deal halted and are calling for the right to return to their homeland, arguing that Chagossians themselves should have a direct role in deciding what happens next.
