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Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Keir Starmer, UK News, Politics, Europe, World News
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Keir Starmer, UK News, Politics, Europe, World News
Donald Trump has described the United Kingdom's 'secret island' deal as an 'act of great stupidity'.
The US president's latest statement comes just months after he endorsed the deal to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and lease back a key military base.
He lashed out at UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer over giving up sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, which include the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously praised the move as a 'monumental achievement', but earlier today (20 January), Trump branded the deal an 'act of total weakness'.
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Launching into his scathing attack on his social media site, Truth Social, Trump seethed: "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.
"There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness."
He highlighted the decision as a reason for his continued pursuit of Greenland, which is a self-governing Danish territory.
"The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired," he said.
Trump’s criticism of the Chagos deal came as legislation to finalise the agreement is caught in a wrangle between the Lords and the Commons.
Trump had previously welcomed the agreement with Mauritius for securing the long-term future of the Diego Garcia facility.
Trump said last year during Starmer's visit to Washington: "They're talking about a very long-term, powerful lease, a very strong lease, about 140 years actually.
"That's a long time, and I think we'll be inclined to go along with your country."
The Government signed a treaty in May 2025 to return sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, following long-running negotiations started under the previous Conservative administration after a 2019 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice said the UK should cede control.
As well as establishing a £40 million fund for Chagossians expelled from the islands, the UK has agreed to pay Mauritius at least £120 million annually during the 99-year agreement, with the total cost in nominal terms set to reach around £35 billion over the period.
A Government spokesman said: "The UK will never compromise on our national security.
"We acted because the base on Diego Garcia was under threat after court decisions undermined our position and would have prevented it from operating as intended in future."
They added: "This deal secures the operations of the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia for generations, with robust provisions for keeping its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out.
"It has been publicly welcomed by the US, Australia and all other Five Eyes allies, as well as key international partners including India, Japan and South Korea."
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, who is known to be close to Starmer, said he believed Trump’s outburst was about Greenland, not the Chagos deal.
He told broadcasters: "I think what we saw last night was a series of posts criticising a number of world leaders. That may tell us that the President is frustrated right now.
"I don’t really believe this is about Chagos, I think it’s about Greenland, and the best way to resolve that is through dialogue with the Danish government, and that’s what we’ve said all along."