- News
- UK
- Bookmark
- CommentsGo to comments
Bookmark popover
Removed from bookmarks
Close popover
Close'UK is letting US down with Chagos deal', says US treasury secretary
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world
Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email
Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email
Email*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice
Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump have agreed to ensure the continued operation of the crucial UK-US military base on the Chagos Islands, Downing Street has confirmed. The leaders committed to "continue working closely to guarantee the future operation" of the facility, marking their first known discussion on the matter since Mr Trump’s strong criticism of the UK’s handover deal last month.
A No 10 spokeswoman, in a readout of their Tuesday call, stated: "Turning to Diego Garcia, and the deal the UK has secured to maintain control of the US-UK military base to protect national security, the leaders recognised its strategic importance. The leaders agreed their governments would continue working closely to guarantee the future operation of the base and speak again soon."
The agreement, projected to cost £35 billion over the next century, involves the UK ceding sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius while leasing back the vital military installation on Diego Garcia.
Mr Trump had previously lambasted the deal in January, describing it as an "act of great stupidity" and an "act of total weakness". He claimed the site of the vital military base was being given away "for no reason whatsoever". His remarks came amid heightened transatlantic tensions, particularly concerning his ambitions to take control of Greenland, with the Prime Minister at the time accusing him of making comments with the "express purpose of putting pressure" on the UK.
Stephen Doughty reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to an agreement that would hand over sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius and secure the operation of a joint UK-US base on the island of Diego Garcia for at least 99 years (CPA Media Pte Ltd/Alamy/PA) (CPA Media Pte Ltd/Alamy/PA)Legislation to ratify the deal is nearing its final stages in Parliament, but progress has been stalled since Mr Trump’s outburst. A previous call between Sir Keir and Mr Trump on January 24 made no mention of the Chagos Islands. Last week, the Prime Minister insisted Mr Trump had initially backed the deal "in very clear terms" following sign-off by US intelligence agencies, pointing to public expressions of support from his administration.
Earlier on Tuesday, Downing Street firmly asserted that the case for the Chagos Islands deal was "crystal clear", following claims from Lord Mandelson of a "wobble" within the Government. The former ambassador to the US, currently embroiled in controversy over his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, suggested there were concerns regarding the deal’s cost and legal necessity.
In a Times interview, Lord Mandelson stated that in spring 2025, he "became aware of a serious wobble in London over the agreement and its sellability to the British public". He added: "That was to do with the price tag and whether we had the total legal obligation to enter the deal and whether the original legal case made for the agreement in Whitehall was as watertight as was claimed. So on the one hand, I faced a sceptical US administration and then at another point a wobbly government of my own behind me." Lord Mandelson expressed being "mildly horrified" by Mr Trump’s January attack, having worked to secure his administration’s support for the deal.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman robustly dismissed any concerns over the deal’s legal necessity. He stated: "We’ve been crystal clear about the importance of this deal and we inherited a situation where the effective operation of the military base was under threat. Claims that we negotiated this deal solely because of the 2019 ICJ (International Court of Justice) advisory opinion are simply wrong. That wasn’t the only challenge we faced."
He further explained: "Without a deal, Mauritius would inevitably pursue a legally binding judgment, and that judgment would then be applied by countries and international organisations alike. And without a deal, we’d face serious, real-world operational impacts on the base." Addressing the alleged "wobble", the spokesman attributed it to a change of governments in both the US and Mauritius in November 2024, necessitating scrutiny from new administrations. He concluded: "We continue to work with the US at every level but our position remains unchanged."
More about
Donald Trumpmilitary baseChagos IslandsKeir StarmerJoin our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments