The UK’s plan to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has drawn sharp criticism from former US President Donald Trump, who has described it as an “act of great stupidity”. The £3.4bn ($4.6bn) deal, agreed by the UK and Mauritius in May 2025, will see the UK lease back the largest of the islands, Diego Garcia, which hosts a joint UK-US military base, for a period of 99 years.
Trump’s comments come just months after he had initially endorsed the move, stating during a White House visit by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in February 2025 that he would be “inclined to go along with your country” on the long-term lease agreement. However, in a recent post on Truth Social, Trump has now branded the deal as an “act of total weakness” by the UK, a “vital NATO ally”.
The Chagos Islands, officially known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, were separated from Mauritius in 1965 when the latter was still a British colony. The UK then invited the US to establish a military base on the largest island, Diego Garcia, forcibly removing thousands of people from their homes in the process.
Mauritius has long argued that the islands were illegally taken, and the deal to hand over sovereignty is seen as a significant step in the country’s decolonisation process. Mauritian Attorney General Gavin Glover has stated that the islands’ sovereignty “should no longer be subject to debate”.
However, the UK government has defended the agreement, stating that it secures the continued operation of the strategically important Diego Garcia base, which it says is necessary to protect it from “malign influence”. The US is set to cover the base’s running costs under the deal.
The timing of Trump’s comments, which come as he is also pushing to acquire Greenland from Denmark, has led to suggestions that he may be attempting to punish Starmer for the UK’s support of Denmark on the Greenland issue. The former president’s stance on the Chagos Islands also appears to be at odds with his previous position, when he had endorsed the handover to Mauritius.
The UK government has maintained that its position on the Chagos Islands has not changed, with a spokesperson stating that the US supports the deal. However, the criticism from Trump, as well as from some UK politicians, such as Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who has described the agreement as an “act of complete self-sabotage”, suggests that the issue remains a contentious one.
