Nigel Farage piles pressure on US to kill off Labour’s Chagos islands surrender deal as he travels to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida
Nigel Farage vowed to increase pressure on the US to end Labor’s capitulation in the Chagos islands as he visited Donald Trump’s Florida estate.
The Reform UK leader was due to dine at Mar-a-Lago on Friday night and said he would ‘reinforce the message’ that Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to hand over the Indian Ocean territory to Mauritius while leasing back the critical air base for £35bn was the ‘worst deal in history’.
The move comes as hopes grow that the President will break the agreement in retaliation for the Prime Minister’s initial refusal to allow bombers to launch attacks on Iran from Diego Garcia.
Before leaving for the US, Mr Farage said: ‘President Trump has almost got the deal through, but I will have dinner at Mar-a-Lago tomorrow night and reinforce the message.
‘This was the worst deal in history, terrible in every way and an absolute betrayal of so many things.
‘We’ve got to keep fighting, we’ve got to keep the pressure up, we’ve got to keep our foot on this pedal, but for the first time in this war, in the last few days, it feels like it’s more than winnable.’
In another setback for Sir Keir, Mauritius plans to sue the UK over delays in ratifying the controversial deal.
Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam said: ‘We are exploring legal avenues in the Chagos case.’
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage tried to reach the Chagos islands himself last month
Downing Street declined to comment but Government sources believe there is no legal basis for Mauritius to receive compensation for the delays.
Sir Keir’s official spokesman told reporters: ‘Maintaining control of Diego Garcia is the whole basis of the agreement we have reached. Maintaining our control protects against legal challenges and prevents our adversaries from compromising the operation.
‘It is an important strategic military asset for both the UK and the US, ensuring our common security for nearly 60 years. ‘This is the only way to ensure the base remains safe and operational in the long term.’
Meanwhile, a senior US politician said he was ‘deeply alarmed’ by Britain’s plan to give the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius, claiming it would ‘endanger US national security by exposing military operations to China and potentially restricting military access to Diego Garcia’.
Senator Ted Cruz told a hearing at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: ‘The United Kingdom is taking a serious gamble on the special relationship by putting at risk one of our most vital joint military assets.’
Frank Garcia, Mr. Trump’s nominee for assistant secretary of state for African affairs, agreed with him that the base in Diego Garcia was vital to the security of the United States.
He promised: ‘If approved, I am committed to working with the committee to look at issues relating to our agreements and long-term agreements to share basing opportunities in the UK.’
