The UK will press ahead with plans to hand the Chagos Islands back to Mauritius despite Donald Trump calling it an “act of great stupidity” and suggesting it was among the reasons he wants to take over Greenland.
The US president said ceding sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory, which includes the Diego Garcia military base, was a sign of “total weakness” by the UK.
The unexpected move caught the UK government off guard after Trump warmly endorsed the handover when Keir Starmer visited the White House last year and the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, signed it off.
Downing Street insisted on Tuesday that the US still supported the agreement, which is intended to provide a firm legal basis for the operation of the strategically important facility, despite Trump’s remarks.
Starmer’s official spokesperson said: “Our position remains unchanged. This deal secures the operations of the joint US-UK base for generations. It has robust provisions for keeping its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out. It has been publicly welcomed by the US.
“As the world grows more dangerous, so too does the importance of the base for our national security. It’s one of the most significant contributions to the UK and US intelligence and security relationship, and almost every operation from the base is in partnership with the US.”
Trump, who is travelling to Davos in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, made the claim as he ramped up his rhetoric on Greenland, firing off a flurry of posts on his Truth Social platform about taking over the Arctic territory, which is part of Denmark.
He wrote: “Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ Nato Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital US Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER.
“There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness. These are International Powers who only recognise STRENGTH, which is why the United States of America, under my leadership, is now, after only one year, respected like never before.
“The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired.”
Trump’s comments will add fuel to Conservative and Reform criticism of the move. Both parties have cited US concerns as a reason to drop the deal with Mauritius, but they have been met with surprise by Labour as they had previously criticised Trump’s threats over Greenland.
The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said: “Paying to surrender the Chagos islands is not just an act of stupidity but of complete self sabotage. I’ve been clear, and unfortunately on this issue President Trump is right. Keir Starmer’s plan to give away the Chagos Islands is a terrible policy that weakens UK security and hands away our sovereign territory. And, to top it off, makes us and our Nato allies weaker in face of our enemies.”
The Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, said: “Thank goodness Trump has vetoed the surrender of the Chagos Islands.”
However, the chief secretary to the prime minister, Darren Jones, suggested Trump’s intervention would not have an effect on the UK’s deal with Mauritius and that it was no longer possible to “reverse the clock” on the decision.
“We’ve done a deal with the Mauritian government, we’ve legislated for the process, we’ve agreed the terms of the treaty, which has been signed,” he told Sky News. “This is the way in which to secure that military base for the next 100 years.”
The welfare secretary, Pat McFadden, who is close to Starmer, told broadcasters: “I think what we saw last night was a series of posts criticising a number of world leaders. That may tell us that the president is frustrated right now.
“I don’t really believe this is about Chagos, I think it’s about Greenland, and the best way to resolve that is through dialogue with the Danish government, and that’s what we’ve said all along.”
The UK has signed a £3.4bn agreement to cede sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius but it is facing significant opposition in the House of Lords.
Under the plan, Britain will cede control over the islands to Mauritius but lease the largest, Diego Garcia, for 99 years to continue operating a joint US-UK military base there.
Downing Street has said in the past that the deal is a “legal necessity” and is backed by the “five eyes” intelligence-sharing partnership with the UK. A UN court gave an advisory opinion in 2021 that the UK did not have rightful sovereignty over the archipelago.
At the time of the agreement in May 2025, Rubio welcomed it as “historic”. “This is a critical asset for regional and global security,” he said. “President Trump expressed his support for this monumental achievement during his meeting with prime minister Starmer at the White House. This milestone reflects the enduring strength of the US-UK relationship.”
Critics of the handover have said the deal gives China an opening in the region because of its close relations with Mauritius. Trump has regularly cited fears of Chinese influence as a reason he intends the US to take over Greenland.
