Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1302 EAT on Tuesday 20 January 2026

The Mauritian government, poised to take control of the Chagos Islands from the UK, has yet to issue a formal response to Donald Trump’s strong condemnation of the deal.

When the agreement was signed in May 2025, Mauritian Prime Minister Dr. Navin Ramgoolam celebrated it as a “great victory for the Mauritian nation,” asserting that 60 years after independence, “the United Kingdom must return our full sovereignty.”

Ramgoolam called the deal a landmark moment in Mauritius’ ongoing decolonization process, which began with the country’s independence in 1968.

A UK government spokesperson has responded to Donald Trump’s recent comments, emphasizing the country’s commitment to national security.

“The UK will never compromise on our national security,” the spokesman stated.
He explained that the decision was driven by the need to protect the Diego Garcia base, which was under threat following court rulings that jeopardized its future operations.

“This agreement ensures the continued operations of the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia for generations, with strong provisions to maintain its unique capabilities and safeguard against potential threats,” the spokesperson added.

The deal, he noted, has been publicly supported by the US, Australia, and all other Five Eyes allies, as well as key international partners, including India, Japan, and South Korea.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has sharply criticized the government’s Chagos Islands deal, calling it “complete self-sabotage.”

In a post on X, alongside an image of Donald Trump’s statement, Badenoch wrote: “Paying to surrender the Chagos Islands is not just an act of stupidity, but of complete self-sabotage.”
She continued, “I’ve been clear, and unfortunately on this issue, President Trump is right.”

Badenoch also attacked Labour leader Keir Starmer, stating, “Keir Starmer’s plan to give away the Chagos Islands is a terrible policy that weakens UK security and

relinquishes our sovereign territory.”
She further argued that the deal undermines both the UK and its NATO allies, adding, “And to top it off, it makes us and our NATO allies weaker in the face of our enemies.”

A long-time critic of the agreement, Badenoch concluded her post by urging Starmer to “change course on Chagos.”

The government is vigorously defending its deal over the Chagos Islands in the wake of President Trump’s vehement outburst on social media.

Senior government sources are emphasizing the strong rationale behind the agreement, pointing out that it has been publicly supported by the United States and Australia—key allies in the UK’s intelligence-sharing partnership, the 5 Eyes alliance.

Ministers argue that legal challenges to the UK’s sovereignty over the Chagos Islands had jeopardized the future of the strategically vital Diego Garcia military base—an asset of great importance to both the UK and the US. According to the government, the deal secures the long-term viability of the base.

It was nearly a year ago that the president’s position on the deal was first sought. I was there, in the Oval Office, when reporters anticipated that Trump might be critical. But we were mistaken. When asked, the president appeared to offer his support.

By May 2025, when the deal was officially finalized, the United States had publicly backed it, as we reported at the time.
Now, however, Trump’s dramatic shift—delivered in his signature flurry of capital letters—raises significant questions for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Until now, Sunak has carefully cultivated a strong relationship with the president, both publicly and privately.

With Greenland and now the Chagos Islands, however, this once-solid alliance seems to be fraying, leaving many to wonder where the relationship is headed next.

Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister and the government’s primary spokesperson, appeared on this morning’s media round to defend the Chagos Islands deal.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Jones emphasized that the agreement provided Britain with “very important security guarantees regarding the functioning of the island and the surrounding waters.”

He stated firmly, “This is the right approach to secure the future of the island, and I wouldn’t for a second suggest that Britain should be embarrassed or humiliated by any of these decisions.”

Acknowledging the growing volatility of global geopolitics, he added, “I recognise that, but we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be cowed by it.”

Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge has weighed in on Donald Trump’s comments regarding the Chagos Islands deal, accusing the government of misplaced priorities.

In a post on X, Cartlidge stated, “The Chagos Islands deal shouldn’t need Trump’s intervention to make the Government think again and invest the money in our armed forces instead.”

He went on to criticize the agreement, claiming that under the terms of the deal, “the UK gives £35 billion to lease back land we already own, simply because Labour is afraid of ‘potential’ legal challenges—challenges that have already been debunked.”

Source: BBC

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