Starmer and Trump agree to put differences aside for Chagos Islands military base
Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump have agreed to ensure continued operations of the key UK-US military base in the Chagos Islands, Downing Street has confirmed. The leaders pledged to “continue to work closely to ensure the future operation” of the facility, in the first known discussion on the issue since Mr Trump’s strong criticism of the UK takeover deal last month.
A No 10 spokesman said at their meeting on Tuesday: “Going back to Diego Garcia and the UK’s agreement to maintain control of the US-UK military base to protect national security, the leaders recognized the strategic importance of this. The leaders agreed that their governments will continue to work closely to ensure the future operation of the base and will speak again shortly.”
The deal, which is expected to cost £35bn over the next century, involves the UK ceding sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius and leasing back the vital military facility in Diego Garcia.
Mr Trump had previously harshly criticized the deal in January, describing it as “an act of gross stupidity” and “an act of utter weakness”. He claimed that the site of the vital military base was given away “for no reason whatsoever”. His remarks came at a time of rising transatlantic tensions, particularly regarding his ambition to seize control of Greenland; At the time, the Prime Minister accused him of making the comments “with the express purpose of putting pressure” on the UK.
Legislation to approve the deal is nearing its final stages in the House, but progress has stalled since Mr. Trump’s outburst. The Chagos Islands were not mentioned in the previous meeting between Sir Keir and Mr Trump on January 24. Last week, the Prime Minister pointed to his administration’s public expressions of support, insisting that Trump had initially “very publicly” backed the deal following the signature by US intelligence agencies.
Earlier on Tuesday, Downing Street firmly maintained that the situation on the Chagos Islands deal was “very clear”, following Lord Mandelson’s claims that there was a “shakedown” within the Government. The former US ambassador, who is currently embroiled in controversy over his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, suggested there were concerns about the cost and legal necessity of the deal.
One Times In the interview, Lord Mandelson stated that in the spring of 2025 he “became aware of serious dithering in London about the agreement and its salability to the British public”. He added: “It was about the price tag and whether we had a full legal obligation to enter into the deal and whether the initial legal case for the deal in Whitehall was as watertight as claimed. So I was faced with a skeptical US administration on one side and then a shaky government behind me at another point.” Lord Mandelson said he was “somewhat dismayed” by the January attack by Mr Trump, who was working to secure his administration’s support for the deal.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman flatly rejected concerns about the legal necessity of the agreement. He said: “We have been very clear about the importance of this agreement and that we inherited a situation where the effective operation of the military base was threatened. Claims that we negotiated this agreement only because of the 2019 ICJ (International Court of Justice) advisory opinion are completely false. This was not the only challenge we faced.”
He further explained: “Without an agreement, Mauritius will inevitably reach a legally binding decision that will then be implemented by countries and international organisations. And without an agreement, we will face serious, real-world operational impacts on the base.” Addressing the alleged “shakedown,” the spokesperson attributed it to the change of government that took place in both the United States and Mauritius in November 2024, requiring review by new administrations. He concluded: “We continue to work with the United States at all levels, but our position has not changed.”
