The UK government has announced that it will proceed with its plan to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, despite criticism from former US President Donald Trump. The move has caught the UK government off guard, as Trump had previously endorsed the handover during a meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The Chagos Islands, including the strategically important Diego Garcia military base, are currently part of the British Indian Ocean Territory. However, the UK has signed a £3.4bn agreement to cede sovereignty over the islands to Mauritius, while retaining a 99-year lease on Diego Garcia to continue the joint US-UK military operations there.
The decision has faced significant opposition, particularly from Conservative and Reform UK politicians, who have cited US concerns as a reason to drop the deal. However, the UK government has insisted that the US still supports the agreement, which is intended to provide a firm legal basis for the operation of the military base.
Prime Minister Starmer’s spokesperson has stated that the government’s position remains unchanged, and that the deal secures the operation of the joint US-UK base for generations to come. The spokesperson also highlighted the importance of the base for UK and US intelligence and security, describing it as one of the most significant contributions to the two countries’ relationship.
Trump, who is currently travelling to Davos for the World Economic Forum, has criticised the UK’s decision, calling it an “act of great stupidity” and suggesting that it was one of the reasons he wanted to take over Greenland. The former US president has claimed that the move is a sign of “total weakness” by the UK and will benefit China and Russia.
However, the UK government has dismissed Trump’s comments, with the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, Darren Jones, stating that the deal with Mauritius is now finalised and that it is no longer possible to “reverse the clock” on the decision.
The handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has been a long-standing dispute, with the UK facing significant opposition both domestically and internationally. A UN court has previously ruled that the UK did not have rightful sovereignty over the archipelago, and the deal with Mauritius is seen as a way to provide a more secure legal basis for the continued operation of the Diego Garcia military base.
