The United States has expressed its support for the United Kingdom’s agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while retaining a lease on a strategic military base, Downing Street has confirmed to BBC.
On Thursday, United States President, Donald Trump, indicated his approval of the arrangement, describing Sir Keir Starmer’s deal as “the best he could make.”
This endorsement comes just weeks after Trump sparked concern in Whitehall that he might withdraw American support, having earlier labelled the agreement an “act of great stupidity.”
Trump’s earlier remarks had prompted additional discussions between officials in London and Washington to ensure continued United States backing for the agreement, which will have implications for the future of the joint UK-US airbase on Diego Garcia.
The deal, initially announced last year, involves the United Kingdom transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while simultaneously leasing back the joint military facility on the largest island, Diego Garcia, for an initial period of ninety-nine years.
During a conversation on Thursday, the two leaders “agreed on the importance” of the deal to safeguard the base, Downing Street said.
A spokeswoman added that both countries would “continue to work closely on the implementation of the deal.”
On his Truth Social platform earlier on Thursday, Trump wrote that his discussions with Sir Keir had been “very productive” and added: “I understand that the deal Prime Minister Starmer has made, according to many, the best he could make.”
“However, if the lease deal, sometime in the future, ever falls apart, or anyone threatens or endangers United States operations and forces at our base, I retain the right to militarily secure and reinforce the American presence in Diego Garcia,” he said.
When asked about Trump’s comments, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, “He spoke with Prime Minister Starmer directly, he understands Prime Minister Starmer’s position and he supports it. But as the president reiterated in that statement, of course, the United States reserves the right to protect our assets.”
Warren Stephens, the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom, stated that while the “ideal” outcome would be for the United Kingdom not to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, it was “the best deal on the table for successive UK governments.”
Echoing the president, Stephens said that the United States “retains the right to maintain and to reinforce our security interests on Diego Garcia if needed in the future.”
Although the deal was originally announced last year and received initial endorsement from Trump and other United States officials, the former president last month referred to it as “an act of total weakness.”
He further criticized the arrangement on Truth Social, writing, “The United Kingdom 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.”
Trump’s earlier criticism coincided with an international dispute over his threats to acquire Greenland.
At that time, Sir Keir accused Trump of making the comments to pressure the United Kingdom over its support for Danish sovereignty of Greenland.
Those remarks had cast doubt over whether the United States would continue supporting the Chagos Islands agreement. Downing Street maintained, however, that American support remained intact despite the president’s earlier comments.
Subsequent talks in London and Washington, which included two direct phone calls between Sir Keir and Trump, have now concluded, and the United States has reaffirmed its backing.
A draft law to ratify the Chagos Islands deal is making its way through the United Kingdom Parliament but had been delayed following Trump’s earlier outburst.
Sir Keir has defended the agreement, insisting it is necessary to protect the continued operation of the base amid past legal challenges from Mauritius over the legitimacy of British sovereignty in the islands.
The deal has faced significant criticism from Conservative Party members and Reform UK, who argue it undermines national security due to Mauritius’ connections with China.
Conservative shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel commented that Trump’s statement “recognises a critical weakness in the surrender deal” regarding the lease arrangements.
She added, “The Conservative Party’s view is unchanged. We have led the fight against this appalling surrender and we will continue fighting it to the end.”
The accompanying image shows two maps: one illustrating the distance of the Chagos Islands from the United Kingdom, and the other showing their location in relation to the coasts of Africa, India, and Southeast Asia.
