US intelligence agencies do not share President Donald Trump’s newly expressed opposition to the UK–Mauritius Chagos Islands deal, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said, pushing back against claims that the agreement undermines American security interests.
Starmer’s remarks, made while travelling to Beijing for a visit that includes discussions on UK national security, directly contradict Trump’s description of the deal as an “act of great stupidity” and risk further straining transatlantic relations.
Why the Chagos Islands Matter
The Chagos Archipelago, located in the Indian Ocean, is home to Diego Garcia, one of the most strategically important military bases in the world. The base is jointly operated by the UK and the United States and plays a critical role in US power projection across the Middle East, Africa, and the Indo-Pacific.
Britain separated Chagos from Mauritius in 1965, three years before Mauritian independence. Since then, Mauritius has claimed sovereignty over the islands, a position supported by rulings at the international court of justice and repeated votes at the United Nations calling on the UK to end its administration of the territory.
The dispute has long raised concerns in Washington that a legal defeat for Britain could jeopardise continued US access to Diego Garcia, making a negotiated settlement increasingly attractive to both London and US defence planners.
Downing Street: Deal Is “Done” Despite Trump’s Rhetoric
Downing Street sources have told the Guardian that the Chagos agreement, formally approved by Starmer and Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth last May, is a “done deal” and will not be derailed by Trump’s latest comments.
Officials said the UK government has received no indication from either the US State Department or American intelligence agencies that their support for the deal has changed, despite the president’s public attacks.
They suggested Trump’s apparent U-turn has been amplified by Conservative critics of the deal and may be linked to his broader geopolitical rhetoric, including his push to acquire Greenland.
Starmer: US Agencies Conducted Detailed Review
Asked whether he trusted Trump to honour his previous backing of the agreement, Starmer said the deal had been repeatedly discussed with the US president and his administration.
“I’ve obviously discussed Chagos with Donald Trump a number of times,”
Starmer told reporters.
“It has been raised with the White House at the tail end of last week, over the weekend and into the early part of this week.”
He added that when the Trump administration took office, the UK paused the agreement for three months to allow a full US review.
“The position is that when the Trump administration came in, we paused for three months to give them time to consider the Chagos deal, which they did at agency level,”
Starmer said.
“Once they’d done that, they were very clear that they supported the deal.”
White House Previously Endorsed Agreement
Starmer stressed that the US endorsement came after a security-led assessment involving defence and intelligence agencies, rather than a political judgment made in haste.
“There was a three-month pause whilst his administration looked in detail at an agency level, because obviously this is about security and intelligence,”
he said.
“They concluded that it was a deal they wanted to support, did support, and did so in very clear terms.”
According to Starmer, that support was publicly expressed by senior figures including Defence Secretary Marco Rubio and Trump himself.
Trump Links Chagos to Greenland Ambitions
Trump last week reignited controversy by claiming that Britain’s decision to cede sovereignty over Chagos was one of the reasons the US should acquire Greenland.
In a series of social media posts, he argued that handing control of Diego Garcia to Mauritius represented a dangerous act of weakness that would be exploited by China and Russia.
“The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY,”
Trump wrote, describing the move as a national security failure and citing it as justification for acquiring Greenland.
Trump’s remarks initially caught Downing Street off guard, with officials believing the issue had been settled months earlier.
UK Adopts Firmer Tone After U-Turn
Following Trump’s intervention, Starmer adopted a more combative stance, stating that the UK “will not yield” on Greenland or on the Chagos agreement.
The next legislative stage of the bill enabling the handover has been delayed in the House of Lords. Downing Street said the delay reflects ongoing discussions with Washington rather than uncertainty over the policy itself.
A No 10 spokesperson said:
“We’re continuing to work with the US. We’ve worked with them throughout in terms of developing this treaty and, as ministers have set out, we are continuing to do that.”
Terms of the Chagos Agreement
Under the deal agreed in October 2024, the UK will transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while retaining an initial 99-year lease over Diego Garcia. The base will continue to be operated jointly with the US, at a projected cost of £3.4bn.
British officials say the agreement was reached under pressure from Washington, which feared that a Mauritian victory at the international court of justice could threaten the long-term legal basis of the base.
Starmer has argued that the deal secures Diego Garcia “for the long term” and strengthens Western security interests.
China, Politics, and Competing Narratives
Conservative critics have accused the Labour government of appeasing Beijing, but China abstained on the key UN vote related to the Chagos process. Security experts believe Beijing privately views the deal as a setback rather than a victory, as it solidifies US and UK control of Diego Garcia.
Despite Trump’s rhetoric, UK officials maintain that the agreement aligns with American strategic interests and continues to enjoy backing from US defence and intelligence agencies — even as political tensions flare at the top.
