Donald Trump has criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the United Kingdom’s agreement concerning the Chagos Islands, saying “this is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with”.
Speaking to reporters, the US president expressed dissatisfaction with the UK’s decision to proceed with a deal that would see Britain transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands officially known as the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius, while leasing back the joint UK-US military base on the largest island.
Trump suggested the revised lease arrangements had complicated US military planning, saying it had taken several days to resolve logistical issues over landing access and that alternative routes required additional flight time.
The Chagos Islands have been under British control since the early 19th century. Under the proposed arrangement, the UK would pay an average annual cost to retain use of the strategically significant base shared with the United States.
Trump had previously expressed support for the agreement but recently turned against it after Keir Starmer refused to let any UK base be used to attack Iran. His latest remarks mark a sharper public rebuke of the UK’s handling of the matter.