Trump Blasts UK Over Returning Chagos Islands To Mauritius

U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised the UK’s plan to return the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, calling it “an act of great stupidity” and using it to bolster his long-running argument that the United States should take control of Greenland.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused Britain of giving up strategically vital territory for no reason, despite the presence of a major joint U.S.-UK military base on Diego Garcia. 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 U.S. Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER.” He added: “There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness,” and later said the move was “another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired.”

Trump’s comments mark a clear shift in tone. His administration had previously backed the UK-Mauritius agreement, which hands sovereignty to Mauritius while allowing Britain to lease Diego Garcia for at least 99 years, keeping the U.S. base in place. Washington said at the time that the deal would ensure the “long-term, stable, and effective operation” of the facility, which the Pentagon has described as an essential hub for operations across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

The UK government has pushed back strongly against Trump’s words, saying that the agreement was driven by security concerns, not weakness. Officials argue that repeated international legal challenges, including a 2019 ruling from the International Court of Justice and pressure from the United Nations, had put Britain’s position at risk. Without a deal, ministers say, the base itself could have faced legal uncertainty, making it harder to keep rivals away from the region.

Senior cabinet minister Darren Jones said the agreement locks in the future of Diego Garcia for the long term and insisted it cannot now be reopened. A government spokesperson stressed that Britain “will never compromise on our national security” and said the treaty protects the base “for generations.”

The political fallout in Britain has been fierce. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch echoed Trump’s criticism, arguing the deal weakens UK security and hands over sovereign territory. She said the plan amounted to “paying to surrender the Chagos Islands,” adding that “unfortunately on this issue President Trump is right.” Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also welcomed Trump’s intervention, saying: “Thank goodness Trump has vetoed the surrender of the Chagos islands.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who signed the treaty in May, has tried to strike a calmer tone. Earlier this week he dismissed Trump’s Greenland ambitions as “completely wrong” and urged disputes with allies to be handled through “calm discussion.” His relationship with Trump, once seen as relatively solid after making progress on trade issues, now looks more strained as disagreements over Greenland and Chagos collide.

Beyond Westminster and Washington, the deal has reopened old wounds for displaced islanders. Britain removed up to 2,000 Chagossians in the late 1960s and 1970s to make way for the base. Many of their descendants, now living in the UK, Mauritius and the Seychelles, say they were not properly consulted and fear the agreement may complicate efforts to return home. The treaty includes plans for a resettlement fund, though Diego Garcia itself remains off-limits.

Legislation approving the deal has cleared the House of Commons but faced resistance in the House of Lords, which passed it alongside a formal motion of regret. Further debate is expected as Trump’s intervention adds fresh heat to an already contentious issue.