Farage urges Trump to intervene on UK's Chagos Islands deal

by · Mail Online

Keir Starmer could face his first foreign policy clash with Donald Trump over the UK’s controversial surrender of the Chagos Islands.

The Prime Minister will come under fresh pressure to cancel the proposed handover of the British overseas territory to Mauritius – an ally of China – if the incoming President concludes it is a risk to the crucial Anglo-American military base there.

A Cabinet minister insisted yesterday that the deal with Mauritius is done and dusted, while the Government believes the Pentagon supports it.

But Nigel Farage is lobbying his political ally Mr Trump to intervene and so force the UK to think again. 

The Reform UK leader told the Mail: ‘I have spoken to people very closely associated with him about the Chagos situation and about the worry that the Mauritian government is moving further to the left.’

He said the danger is that the deal agreed by Labour in October – which hands control over the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius but allows the US and UK to continue operating the military base on its largest atoll Diego Garcia for at least 99 years – could unravel as Chinese influence grows on Mauritius.

Nigel Farage (pictured) is lobbying his political ally Mr Trump to intervene and so force the UK to think again
Former US President Donald Trump speaks during an event at the Mar-a-Lago Club April 4, 2023 in West Palm Beach, Florida
Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago and site of a major United States military base in the middle of the Indian Ocean leased from Britain
The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) or Chagos Islands (formerly the Oil Islands) is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom situated in the Indian Ocean, halfway between Africa and Indonesia
The Prime Minister will come under fresh pressure to cancel the proposed handover of the British overseas territory to Mauritius (pictured: Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago)

‘Leasehold agreements sound wonderful but look at what happened with Hong Kong,’ said Mr Farage.

‘And what’s to stop, under this agreement, the Chinese being allowed to use one of the other islands? Given the importance of Diego Garcia in the Gulf war, it’s a very important military asset.

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‘Obviously we’ve got to see who he appoints as Secretary of State and as Secretary of Defence. But I think it’s highly unlikely that this will not become an issue. I don’t see what we gain from the handover – rethinking it must be a possibility. It’s entirely possible this situation changes.’

He added that Trump’s people ‘are aware’ of legal advice drafted by pro-Brexit lawyer Martin Howe KC which argues that the UK was under no obligation to cede sovereignty of the islands, despite a 2019 ruling by the International Court of Justice that the UK’s occupation was unlawful.

A former Foreign Office source told the Mail: ‘I would be highly surprised if Trump didn’t at least try and put a stop to the deal.’ 

Allies of the new president slammed the decision last month to hand the British Indian Ocean Territory over to Mauritius, which is 1,300 miles from the archipelago

The insider said it would be an ‘extraordinary U-turn’ if Labour were to abandon the deal, adding: ‘Ultimately if Trump really wants it to happen, they have ways of turning the screws on the government. See what they did with Huawei.’

Although Mr Trump has not commented publicly on the Chagos deal, other senior Republicans have done so including a leading contender to become his Secretary of State. 

Senator Marco Rubio described the handover as ‘concerning’ last month. Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden, asked by Sky News if the deal was ‘100 per cent done and dusted’, replied: ‘Yes, I believe it is,’ adding that it ‘is important in that deal that we have secured the use of the base there for a long time to come’.

A Government spokesman said: ‘This agreement protects the long-term secure operation of the UK-US base that plays a vital role in regional and international security.

‘The UK and the US has a special relationship built over many decades and we look forward to continuing this with the incoming US administration, cooperating on our shared priorities including growth, security and defence.’