Donald Trump has delivered a scathing public rebuke of Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the British Government's agreement to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. In a bombshell post on his Truth Social platform, the US president unleashed a blistering critique of what he characterised as a catastrophic failure of national security judgement.
Posted in characteristically inflammatory style, Trump 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.'
The American leader's intervention marks a dramatic escalation in transatlantic tensions over one of the most contentious geopolitical decisions of Starmer's premiership. The prime minister's administration signed the deal with Mauritius last May, formally transferring sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory after decades of acrimonious legal wrangling and international pressure.
The Diego Garcia Dilemma
Trump did not mince words in his assessment of the implications. 'There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness,' he declared, before adding, '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 president's concerns centre on Diego Garcia, a strategically crucial atoll home to a joint UK-US military installation. This facility supports long-range bombers, nuclear submarines and extensive surveillance operations, playing a pivotal role in projecting Western power across the Indian Ocean, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific region, where countering Chinese naval expansion remains a core objective.
Trump proceeded to lambast the agreement itself, describing the handover as 'an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of national security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired'. The cryptic reference underscored his broader frustration with what he perceives as Western strategic vacillation, whilst simultaneously signalling his controversial ambitions to acquire the Danish territory.
Weighing National Security Against Decolonisation
Under the May 2025 agreement, Britain cedes full sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius while retaining a 99-year extendable lease on Diego Garcia. The UK has committed to paying Mauritius approximately £101 million annually — a figure that could amount to billions over the lease term, drawing sharp criticism over the burden placed on British taxpayers.
The Starmer administration framed the deal as a necessary resolution to decades of legal conflict and international pressure for decolonisation. The arrangement followed the International Court of Justice's 2019 advisory opinion favouring Mauritius and repeated UN General Assembly resolutions calling for an end to colonial-era territorial holdings by Western nations.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Darren Jones defended the arrangement on Sky News, insisting the agreement would 'secure that military base for the next 100 years'. Yet the government faces opposition from unexpected quarters, with Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch siding with Trump's critique — a rare moment of cross-Atlantic political alignment.
Speaking in the aftermath of Trump's intervention, Badenoch declared: '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 the face of our enemies.'
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage wasted no time endorsing the American President's perspective, posting on X: 'Thank goodness Trump has vetoed the surrender of the Chagos Islands.' His language was particularly revealing, suggesting the US president now exerts de facto veto power over British foreign policy decisions — a troubling implication for UK sovereignty.
Thank goodness Trump has vetoed the surrender of the Chagos islands.
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) January 20, 2026
The arrangement has also faced fierce resistance from exiled Chagossians, thousands of whom were forcibly removed from their homes in the 1960s and 1970s. Notably, these communities were excluded entirely from negotiations and decision-making processes, raising serious questions about who truly benefited from this ostensibly humanitarian resolution to colonial injustice.
Conservative defence analysts and peers have raised grave concerns about Mauritius's deepening economic and strategic ties with China, warning that long-term security could be compromised if the island nation shifts its geopolitical alignment. The treaty remains unratified amid parliamentary resistance and mounting transatlantic unease, leaving the future of this controversial agreement in limbo.
Trump concluded his statement with an assertive message to Denmark: 'Denmark and its European allies have to DO THE RIGHT THING. Thank you for your attention to this matter. PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP.' The apparent reference served dual purposes — expressing exasperation over the Chagos decision whilst applying direct pressure on Copenhagen regarding his stated objective to acquire Greenland, which he has notably declined to rule out acquiring by force.
