Trump Slams UK's Chagos Islands Deal as 'Great Stupidity'

What was contained within the UK-Chagos Islands agreement? In May 2025, the UK signed an agreement to cede sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, but lease the largest one, Diego Garcia, for 99 years to continue operating a joint US-UK military base there. The agreement followed lengthy negotiations started under the previous Conservative government after a 2019 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice said the UK should cede control. As well as establishing a £40m fund for Chagossians expelled from the islands, the UK has agreed to pay Mauritius at least £120m annually during the 99-year agreement, a total cost in cash terms of at least £13bn. The Conservatives framed the deal as “an act of national self-harm”, which left Britain more vulnerable to China because of its links with Mauritius. The UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, vigorously defended the agreement at the time, saying there was “no alternative” to the deal as it was “part and parcel of using Britain’s reach to keep us safe at home” and hailed it as “one of the most significant contributions that we make to our security relationship with the United States”. The UK bought the Chagos Islands for £3m in 1968 and forcibly displaced up to 2,000 people – to make way for the UK-US armed forces base – in what is widely seen as a crime against humanity and a shameful example of postwar colonialism. The agreement is yet to be ratified by the UK government and has not been implemented into domestic law. Share Updated at 07.45 GMT Trump says UK's decision to hand over sovereignty to Chagos Islands is act of 'great stupidity' The US president, Donald Trump, has suggested Britain’s decision to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is among the reasons he wants to take over Greenland. In a Truth Social post, he said the UK’s plan to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is an “an act of GREAT STUPIDITY”. He said: 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. These are International Powers who only recognize STRENGTH, which is why the United States of America, under my leadership, is now, after only one year, respected like never before. 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. Denmark and its European Allies have to DO THE RIGHT THING. Thank you for your attention to this matter. PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP. Share Updated at 07.16 GMT Macron's text message shared by Trump on Truth Social is authentic, source says The text message from Emmanuel Macron that Donald Trump shared on his Truth Social platform as a screenshot was authentic, a source close to the French president said on Tuesday morning. “It demonstrates that the French president defends the same line in public as in private,” the source said, quoted by Reuters. Macron told Trump that he could set up a meeting after Davos in Paris on Thursday afternoon, the message showed. Trump’s reply, if any, was not part of the screenshot. Share Updated at 07.40 GMT Trump says 'no going back' on Greenland Donald Trump has said he had a “very good” telephone call with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte concerning Greenland. The US president also said he had agreed to a meeting of various parties in Davos at the World Economic Forum (WEF), while not specifying who the parties were, Reuters reports. “As I expressed to everyone, very plainly, Greenland is imperative for National and World Security,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday. There can be no going back - On that, everyone agrees! Trump had earlier told reporters the US would talk about acquiring Greenland at the WEF because Denmark could not protect the territory. Share Updated at 06.57 GMT