President Trump is warning Prime Minister Keir Starmer against a potential handover of the Chagos Islands by the United Kingdom to Mauritius through a 99-year lease agreement. The chain of islands in the Indian Ocean includes Diego Garcia, the site of a jointly maintained U.S.-U.K. airbase.
Although the U.S. would have continued access to the base under a lease agreement, the president warned that the deal would be a mistake and could lead to reduced security. In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, President Trump cautioned Starmer against proceeding with the deal.
“I have been telling Prime Minister Keir Starmer, of the United Kingdom, that Leases are no good when it comes to Countries, and that he is making a big mistake by entering a 100 Year Lease with whoever it is that is ‘claiming’ Right, Title, and Interest to Diego Garcia, strategically located in the Indian Ocean,” President Trump said. “Our relationship with the United Kingdom is a strong and powerful one, and it has been for many years, but Prime Minister Starmer is losing control of this important Island by claims of entities never known of before. In our opinion, they are fictitious in nature.”
The Chagos Islands were purchased from Mauritius in 1965, when Mauritius was a British colony. Although Britain paid £3m for the island chain, Mauritius has argued that it was pressured into the deal as a condition for independence. The U.S. military base on Diego Garcia was constructed in the late 1960s.
President Trump stressed that access to the base could become critical if tensions continue to escalate with Iran without the negotiation of a peace deal.
“Should Iran decide not to make a Deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime — An attack that would potentially be made on the United Kingdom, as well as other friendly Countries,” President Trump said. “Prime Minister Starmer should not lose control, for any reason, of Diego Garcia, by entering a tenuous, at best, 100 Year Lease.”
President Trump urged Starmer to reconsider and not to compromise access to a strategic site based on ideological concerns.
“This land should not be taken away from the U.K. and, if it is allowed to be, it will be a blight on our Great Ally,” President Trump said. “We will always be ready, willing, and able to fight for the U.K., but they have to remain strong in the face of Wokeism, and other problems put before them. DO NOT GIVE AWAY DIEGO GARCIA!”