UK stands firm on Chagos deal as Trump criticises 'great stupidity' of ceding territory to Mauritius
The UK government has defended itself after US president Donald Trump condemned Westminster's "great stupidity" for handing over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
The Ministry of Defence has said that the "UK will never compromise on our national security" in light of Mr Trump's comments on the UK-Chagos deal, which allows the UK to keep control of the Diego Garcia military base while agreeing to hand the islands to Mauritius.
It comes as the great and the good speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos to debate the world's threats and solutions in the snowy peaks of the swish Swiss ski resort.
What has the Ministry of Defence said?
"We acted because the base on Diego Garcia was under threat after court decisions undermined our position and would have prevented it operating as intended in future," the MOD said in a statement.
"This deal secures the operation 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."
This latest rebuttal to the American leader comes after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer held a press conference on international affairs, where he said that Greenland must decide its own future following threats from the former Apprentice businessman to use several different options, including giving Greenlanders a large sum of money or using military force, to acquire the world’s largest island.
What has Donald Trump said?
In response to Sir Keir's press conference, Mr Trump launched a stinging attack on the UK and the Labour leader on his TruthSocial platform.
He accused the UK of giving away Diego Garcia "for no reason whatsoever", while noting that China and Russia would have seen the news of the Chagos Islands deal.
The second-term Republican president went on to say that these countries only recognise "strength", which one could assume to mean hard power, and that he has made the USA more respected around the world during his year-and-a-bit in the White House.
"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," Mr Trump concluded.
"Denmark and its European allies have to do the right thing."
Why are the Chagos Islands important militarily?
The Chagos Islands are important militarily because they host the strategically located Diego Garcia base.
Diego Garcia is the largest of 55 islands that form the Chagos Archipelago within the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), following the French ceding control of many Indian Ocean islands to Britain under the 1814 Treaty of Paris.
The joint US-UK base is a significant hub for US naval and air operations.
The base, which supports US Navy supply ships and long-range bombers like the B1-B Lancer, gives a secure location from which operations can be launched to the Middle East.
The US base on Diego Garcia is sizable and is seen as very important to maintaining regional stability.
There is a small detachment of UK personnel on the base, reportedly around 40 personnel, which provides police and customs services on the island.
Three hundred and ninety-six joint forces personnel and more than 2,000 Department of War civilians and contractors are based there.
The Chagos Islands timeline
November 1965: UK buys Chagos Islands for £3m to create the BIOT.
February 2019: A UN court says that the UK has an "obligation" to end its administration of the Chagos Islands "as rapidly as possible".
May 2019: The UN passes a non-binding resolution demanding that the UK ends its control of the Chagos Islands.
November 2022: The UK and Mauritius agree to hold talks on the future of the Chagos Islands.
October 2024: The UK transfers the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after more than 50 years of control.
December 2024: The UK government denies that there is a lack of US support for a deal over the islands.
January 2025: A former First Sea Lord, Admiral Lord West, backs a report calling on the UK government to halt a deal that will hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
May 2025: A judge clears the way for the Government to sign its deal over the Chagos after discharging a High Court injunction which blocked the end of negotiations.
January 2026: US President Donald Trump criticises the UK-Chagos Islands deal, calling it an "act of great stupidity".
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